E Pluribus Unum
by Rosette-Cullen
Summary: One thing in exchange for another takes on a literal meaning when a relationship and social opinions are put at their breaking point. How can a couple defying those social opinions survive? ExB lemons, angst, romance
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm proud to announce that this is my _sixtieth_ story. Wow.**

**After my weeks upon weeks of not posting and taking a break after finishing two stories, I decided it's about time I get something good out there.**

**I hope everyone enjoys this delicious angsty-romance.**

**I do not own Twilight.**

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"She moved in with her boyfriend _I_ heard."

"No, I think her parents kicked her out and then her boyfriend dumped her."

"She's pregnant I think. You _know _how her dad is always giving those teen pregnancy lectures."

"Oh my God… still, her boyfriend's a hottie."

"I know, _and _a college student."

I shut out the gossiping once and for all with my headphones and turned up the song that was playing until I couldn't hear the shameless giggling anymore. Unfortunately, it was classical, so the pauses in between piano notes let the flow of high soprano voices through. I changed the song quickly and focused on my math homework instead.

Every single day I heard the same damn things muttered over and over again and they were really starting to get to me. What happened to silent study halls on Wednesdays? God, I hate substitutes.

Something went whizzing by my head and my eyes snapped up to Tyler Crowley laughing, his nostrils expanding. I didn't have to hear him to know that he probably just snorted. I looked to my right to see a shredded _Romeo and Juliet_ book on the ground.

"What the hell?" I whispered and pulled out one of my headphones.

I pulled up the book and flipped back the front cover. It was like a yearbook, except the friendly 'see ya next year's' were replaced with words like 'douche bag' and 'whore'. I breathed in a shaky breath and looked at the back of the mangled book to see my name scratched out with 'Isasmella Whore'. Hmm, creative.

I threw the book in my bag and pretended it didn't bother me even though I'd had that book since seventh grade. Certain quotes with sentimental meaning were circled in it by my former friends and by my mother.

I glanced at the clock on my iPod and thanked God there were only seven more minutes of class left. I finished writing out the formulas so I could complete the problems easily later on and lined up all the papers neatly in organized stacks before putting them in my backpack. I watched the clock as the seconds hand glided along the numbers until the minute hand was on three.

"Thank God," I murmured and walked out the room as fast as I could.

Even if my next class was worse than a study hall I was glad to get away. I didn't think I had much fight left in me to defend myself or my current situation.

I stuck to the right side of the hall, my shoulder touching the painted brick wall. I kept my iPod on and ignored some of the people who looked at me or the groups of people standing in the hallway. _Stay away from groups of people at all times, _I thought and sped my walk a bit.

"Bella!"

_Ignore it._

"Bella Sw_a_n," the voice chirped again and this time I couldn't ignore it because it was right next to me.

"Oh, hey, Jessica," I said sheepishly. "I didn't hear you." I took out a headphone but she didn't seem to care.

"What's going on?" she asked with too much enthusiasm. "We haven't spoken in weeks!"

"Yeah, I know." _Because_ a_ll you do is give me funny looks and talk about me behind my back._

"What's going on? What's up?" She grinned at me, oblivious that she was completely blocking the walkway with her overstuffed bright pink backpack.

"I'm on my way class." I moved to the side and began to walk slowly, hinting that she could follow me if she wanted to.

"Oh, right! Ew, I really hate chem."

"Uh-huh."

"So what's up?" she asked again, but this time there was an edge of impatience in her voice.

"Not much," I answered flippantly.

"Oh, come on, Bella." She laughed like I had told a joke. "Seriously, you're a really interesting person. There has to be _something_ going on."

"Jessica, have you seen my _Romeo and Juliet_ book anywhere?" I looked straight ahead at the hall in front of me but Jessica's rambling cut off short. She didn't speak for several moments.

"Um..."

_That's what I thought._

I turned into the chemistry room and took my seat in the back. I hated sitting in the back; I couldn't stand looking over peoples' heads to take notes, but I also couldn't stand the looks that bore into my back.

If you give high schoolers the ammunition they'll sure as hell use it.

"Do you think she knows?" I heard Jessica ask Lauren when they took their seats across from me.

"Who cares," Lauren answered, glaring at me.

_Indeed. W_ho _cares._

I turned my attention to Mr. Banner, who was writing out pool chemistry formulas on the board. I copied them down and focused on anything but the side conversations in class.

Approximately forty three minutes and twenty two seconds later, the bell rang and I nearly jumped up from my seat. Just one more period to get through and then I would be free for the rest of the day.

I jumped over someone's foot, dodged hallway traffic and made it to the girl's locker room in time to change for gym. I got there before the bell rang and before all the other girls strolled in. _Ignore, ignore, ignore…_

"Skank."

I made it out of the locker room before I could hear any more and I smiled triumphantly. That was far less worse than I had expected. I made my way up the stairs and to the gym where Coach Clapp was passing out dodge balls to the boys.

"Damnit," I cussed.

"Girls on the bench, boys on the court!" Coach Clapp yelled.

I saw on the bleachers far across from the other girls. I was like a plague to them, and even though they were the ones who were ultimately confrontational, they kept their distance from me. For that I was grateful.

The boys started to throw the balls at each other; some of them would bounce off others and fly towards the bleachers. The girls would all scream, throw their hands out, kick the ball down, repeat.

I watched with mild interest and smiled a bit when Tyler tripped on his shoelace and took down his own teammate with him. They got up and stomped to the side with others, waiting for someone to catch the ball and get them back in.

Mike Newton and Eric Yorkie were the last two standing, flinging balls at each other and trash talking like there was no tomorrow. With their tiny, homoerotic gym shorts and aggression for touching balls it was like a soft core porno.

Mike threw a ball at the floor and it bounced up to hit Eric in the chest. Eric flipped him the bird, got scolded, and then stomped off to where Tyler was.

"Girls on the floor!" Clapp yelled over the groaning females.

I walked down the bleachers after all of them, finding myself as the last girl picked by Jessica Stanley's team—which was just fine, considering the other team captain was Lauren—and stood in the back trying to avoid any form of contact, ball or person.

Some girl with straight black hair whaled the ball at Jessica and she squealed loudly. I smiled a little and looked back at the other side. A ball came rolling down the floor and bounced into my shoe so I walked off to the line of girls who were out.

After watching a boring round of "Don't let it touch my hair!" the game finally ended and the boys were called back down.

I couldn't even watch it this time, and I actually settled for listening to inane gossip about who was hotter than who. Mike beat out Eric, but Quil Atera was hotter than Mike by double, and then they started to fight about who would be better in bed and I zoned out completely.

_What should I make for dinner tonight? I wonder if ravioli would be okay. I've been wanting to try out that new recipe for the marinara…_

"Alright. Go change, ladies," Coach Clapp gave the confirmation. I jumped out of my seat and down the bleachers to the gym doors.

"Wait!" I turned around at the sound of Clapp's voice, but instead of middle aged wrinkle lines I saw a red rubber ball coming straight at me.

I snapped my eyes closed and felt it hit the side of my face. My foot stepped back and I fell off balance onto my butt. My wrist hit the door on the way down and I groaned. Several people erupted into laughter and Clapp started screaming at Tyler.

I sat up and tried to ignore the shooting pain in my arm and the tears in my eyes, but those were more from embarrassment than anything else. I ran out of the gym and down into the locker room to change, finding a note on my locker that said 'whore' in bright purple letters.

I threw it to the ground and pulled on my jeans and shirt before running out of the locker room to the front of the school.

A silver car was parked in its regular visitor's spot. I saw the driver's head leaning against the headrest and I made my way to the passenger's side. When the door popped open his head snapped to the right.

"You're early," he said.

"Yeah, gym let out early," I mumbled.

"Everything alright?" His tone dropped and he looked at me with sincere worry.

_This is the one person who cares…_

"Yeah, I'm alright,"

"Your arm…"

"I fell, the usual." I smiled but he didn't take the bait. His hand touched my wrist and he felt the bone. I winced when he pressed on the bruising skin.

"Bella…"

"Really. I'm fine, Edward," I said. And I was—now, anyway.

His green eyes met mine and he sighed while running his hand through his disheveled copper hair before he started the car. I held his hand the entire ride, relaxing in the scent of him and his car—_our_ car I guess, but it really was his.

Everything I owned was _his_ in reality. It had been like this for a while now, ever since I moved in with him five weeks ago. He didn't see it that way, but I did.

And so did everyone else.

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**A/N: If anyone can give a guess as to what this is about, or has a prediction, I'm always open to questions and will most certainly give answers.**

**Don't forget to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the phenomonal reviews. The one thing that came up a lot that I can assure you won't happen is pregnancy, it's a cop-out in most stories and I'd like to keep it, er, I guess simple but this still might be a bit complicated. If that makes any sense at all.**

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"I was thinking ravioli for dinner," I said as we walked into his one bedroom, one bath, small kitchen/living room combo apartment—home.

"Sounds delicious, I'm up for anything." He said while hanging up his jacket on a hook by the door. He was whistling something while he walked into the bedroom, presumably to change and I started to move around the kitchen, getting the ravioli and the sauce ingredients ready.

"How was work?" I asked when he came back into the kitchen for a soda.

"Pretty boring, I guess. Some girl kept hitting on me when I was working behind the bar, but she left a _huge_ tip when she left."

"And her number?"

"Yeah, that, too," he sighed. "Anyway, I spoke to my boss and he said there's a waitressing position from two thirty to seven available."

"You have school at five, though." I looked up at him from the boiling pot.

"Yeah, which is why I took The Beast into the shop today."

"Edward!"

"It won't cost that much, Bella, relax. I talked to the mechanic and he said the break table just needs to be replaced. One fifty, two hundred at the most."

"That's still a lot. I could walk, you know."

"Not at night, and not in that area especially," he argued.

"I can't believe you did that," I said incredulously. "We're behind on rent as it is this month without auto body maintenance, too!"

"The maintenance is paid for, and so is the rent." He smiled at me and that smile turned into a grin.

"How?" I asked hesitantly.

"That tip," he said and laughed. "Three hundred dollars for serving her two cocktails and winking before she left."

"Whoa, seriously?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know it's probably wrong to lead her on like that, and then take her money, but three hundred dollars is—well, it's a lot."

"Yeah," I sighed. "So when can I start?"

"The car should be out by the weekend, and I'll take you for your interview on Friday since I don't have classes."

I smiled. "We'll be working together."

He grinned back. "I know."

--

About two hours later we were on the loveseat, cuddled up and working on homework before Edward had to leave for classes. I was finishing up on my math assignment and he was flipping through an anatomy textbook.

My head leaned against his shoulder and I sighed aloud. His arm tightened around my waist and he planted a kiss on the top of my head. His warm palm rested on the flesh of my waist and I closed my notes to lean into him.

"What do you plan on doing tonight while I'm gone?" he asked into my scalp.

"Shower, read, and then go to bed."

"Sounds nice," he said almost wistfully.

"You deserve a day off," I said, because it was true.

"You know I can't stop working, Bella… you know I can't."

"I know… maybe when I start working again things will get easier." I think we both pondered that for a moment, wondering about what the future held for us. It was almost painful to think that things would continue the way they were, that we would continue to be separated because of school and work at opposite hours of the day. We hardly had any time to just hold and be with eachother anymore.

Edward didn't say anything, but his grip around my waist tightened; telling me that he sure hoped so, but it most likely would not get easier, just less tense.

His watch beeped and we both sighed. Getting up from our comfortable spot, we walked to the front door. I paused for a moment to run into the kitchen and pulled out the apple slices I had cut along with the little packets of peanut butter and a can of soda.

He grinned when he saw them in my hands and ducked his head to kiss me deeply, slipping just a bit of tongue in before pulling away and kissing my cheek.

"Love you, Bella," he said, and the grin turned into a soft smile that matched his bright green eyes.

My cheeks heated up and I leaned forward to kiss him again. "I love you, too, Edward."

He grabbed his coat, winked at me and walked out into the hallway. I sighed and leaned my back against the wall, feeling his lingering presence where he had just stood and the heat from his lips. I closed my eyes and imagined that he was still there with me for a moment, still telling me he loved me with his eyes looking the way they did, the most beautiful thing in the world.

I walked into the living room and picked up the dishes from before, busying myself with scraping marinara from the plates instead of acknowledging that he wasn't here. I may have been a bit clingy, I guess, but he was all I had in this entire world. I would never take that for granted.

When the dishes were put away I glanced at the message numbers on the answering machine. The number was a bright red zero and I looked away from the taunting light. I had too much hope and faith in people sometimes.

I did almost exactly as I told Edward I would do; I took a shower, but avoided reading all the stupid comments in my _Romeo and Juliet_ book. Then I went to bed feeling entirely too frustrated.

I gave in then, and read them. And I took them to heart.

I fell asleep with tears in my eyes, but didn't cry. I had been through so much worse than a couple of teenagers calling me petty names.

Somewhere around nine I ended up falling asleep and it seemed like like only a few minutes had passed when the bed started to shake.

"It's just me," Edward whispered.

"Mmm…" I mumbled. "How were your classes?"

"Alright," his chest pressed against my back and his arms wrapped around my waist. Warmth touched the back of my head and I smiled. "Who wrote in your book?"

My eyes opened wide and flashed to the book… I had left it on the coffee table. "Oh… I don't know who did it. I just found it."

"You know I don't believe that, Bella," he murmured. "That's an act of vandalism. First it was verbal, next it'll be physical violence."

My hand twitched where the fat purple bruise was beginning to climb up my forearm. "That's not it…"

"What happened, Bella? I promise I won't judge." His hand ran through my hair and my throat constricted. My nose started to tingle and my eyes burned with salt.

"It's really… nothing, Edward." The tremor in my voice was noticeable and his arms tightened protectively around me.

"Don't cry, Bella. Please don't cry," he cooed. "It doesn't matter what any of them say. They don't know anything about us and they never will. The only thing that matters is that I love you more than anything in the world, and even if those _lowlifes_ harass you I'll still always love you more than any of them will ever be loved."

It was quiet for a while after he spoke in that soft caring voice. His hands caressed my skin and kissed everywhere he could with fervent intensity. I just let him comfort me for the moment because he was just… the only one who knew how.

"Thank you," I whispered. I grabbed his hand and kissed his palm from where he was stroking along my collarbone.

"I love you, Bella. More than anything in the world," he murmured.

I smiled a little and snuggled into his warmth. "Ditto."

He chuckled as we both dozed off into precious sleep.

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**A/N: I forgot to mention one of the most important things. This will be a short story, 13 chapters exactly. But I loved writing every bit of it, so I hope you enjoy reading just as much.**

**Don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't really like this chapter, but I feel bad for not being able to answer the age question. It's in here, though.**

**Bella _is_ eighteen, though. Some people were concerned about that, they had a relationship previous to her being eighteen, but at the moment everything's legal. Her father's a cop ya know.**

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"Have you held any other previous jobs?" Mr. Uley asked.

"Yes, I worked at Newton's Outfitters for about a year."

"Good, so you've interacted with customers before. You're available any time after two thirty, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Uley." My mouth felt strange saying his name that way.

I'd known Sam Uley for years. He was close to best friends with my father, and he had been at nearly every family picnic with his wife. But we weren't really acquainted, and I think he felt just as awkward about this whole thing as I did.

"Alright. Sounds good, then. The starting pay is seven dollars an hour and you get to keep whatever tips you get. It's under the table, too."

_Yes!_

"Thank you, Mr. Uley."

"Sam, Bella. Just call me Sam," he smiled sadly. "I guess Edward will show you the ropes, then. Just watch him for the night. You can't work at the bar, obviously, but you can waitress and bus tables. Just trade schedules with one of the other waitresses."

Sam stood up and shook my hand. Then he walked me into the kitchen where Edward was talking to one of the cooks, waiting for me. Sam smiled and gave him the thumbs up, letting him know I was hired.

Edward smiled and thanked Sam before handing me one of the uniform waist aprons and walking me out to the counter.

I wondered how working at the diner felt for Edward. I also wondered if Sam told my dad anything about him, keeping an eye on his daughter's boyfriend. Edward worked hard, though; harder than anyone I'd ever known, and Sam couldn't fire him even if he wanted to for that.

I glanced over at the bar and looked down at the floor while I thought of how my dad used to come here all the time. After an almost-altercation with Edward… he stopped coming.

"Hey," Edward murmured. "Chin up."

I lifted my head and he smiled reassuringly, like he always did when I was thinking about something that upset me. I smiled back as he showed me the basic utilities of the coffee maker, soda dispenser and hot chocolate machine.

"This place is known for the hot chocolate," Edward said, making me a cup. "But there's nothing to it, really. Just don't make it too hot and add cream instead of milk. When getting soda for someone, don't put too much ice in it. Most places do that to cut down on costs, but we get it cheap and it keeps people coming back if they get an abundance—and the more business, the better."

"Got it," I nodded.

"Think you can handle a customer?"

"What?" I gasped. "Really?"

"Uh-huh. Two teenagers shouldn't be too difficult." He nodded his head in the direction of a table and grabbed a pad of paper and a pen.

"I won't let you down, then," I promised.

"You never do."

I made my way onto the floor and spotted the table he was talking about. My mouth went dry and I stumbled a little as I made my way closer. The only thing I could see was the platinum blonde head glaring at me from the setting sun.

Jessica saw me before Lauren did and her eyebrows pulled together. "Oh. My. God," I heard her mutter.

Lauren turned her head to the right and her eyes went wide before she grinned maliciously. _God damn my luck_.

"Can I take your orders?" I asked in my friendliest tone. These bitches could do it and so could I.

"Yeah, waitress girl," Lauren snickered. "Two Cokes and cut back on the ice. Chop chop."

I wrote that down on the pad, underlining _minimum ice_. "Anything else?"

Jessica piped up this time. "A garden burger with three pickles on it. Last time they gave me four and even numbers are bad luck." Her nose wrinkled. "I want my fries separate with ranch dressing—low fat."

I scribbled the orders down and made sure it was legible before glancing at Lauren. "Listen up, waitress girl. I want three quarters of the fish special sautéed in lemon juice and four mushrooms with nine carrot sticks. I don't want any fries with that, got it?"

"Would you like the salad that comes with the fish?" I asked, remembering all the side dishes that came with each meal.

"Oh my God, did you listen to anything I just said? No. I don't want a fucking _salad,_" she sneered. "I should totally have a talk with your manager."

"Is there a problem?" I turned my head sharply to where Edward was now standing at my side. He was was impatient with an underlying rude tone to it, but they probably couldn't tell. Besides, If I knew Jessica and Lauren…

"Oh my God."

"Wow…"

...they'd be fawning over his looks, and not his tone of voice.

"Well, is there?"

"What?" Lauren asked, her eyes on his arms now.

"Is there a problem?" Edward asked again. This time the impatience was the _only_ thing in his tone.

"No," Jessica sighed.

Lauren shook her head. "Wait, yeah—there's a problem. Waitress girl here tried to push a salad on me when I didn't want it."

"It's common custom for waiters and waitresses to ask the customers if they'd like the free side dishes."

"Huh," Lauren mumbled.

"Are you done ordering?" Edward asked and grabbed the menus from the table.

"Mmhmm," they both answered. _What the hell? Don't stare at him like that!_

I turned away and Edward followed after me until we were behind the counter. I hung the slip where the cook could see it and grabbed two glasses.

"You know them?" Edward asked.

"Kind of," I answered, focusing on not putting too much ice in.

"School?"

"Yeah."

"Were they the ones who…"

"Wrote in my book? Yeah, it was them. But don't worry about it, they're the least of my worries." I waved it off and started to fill the glasses with Coke.

Edward's arms wrapped around my waist briefly as he kissed the back of my head like he always did when I needed to be reassured. "I love you,"

"Love you, too," I whispered.

I grabbed the glasses and smiled up at Edward. When I reached their table I put the glasses on the table and smiled as best I could. Jessica grabbed her drink and nearly chugged it while Lauren methodically unwrapped her straw.

"Who's that guy?" she asked.

"Edward." _Try and mess him with, bitch. I don't think I'll be able to restrain myself from ripping your eyelids off._

I walked away before she could say anything; I didn't think I could handle her making comments about him, no matter how minuscule. Even if everyone did know I was living with him, they didn't know anything else about him and I preferred to keep it that way.

--

By the end of the night I was exhausted in more ways than one. Lauren stayed around until closing, _without_ Jessica. Edward went to work at the bar, where she couldn't get to him, and I dealt with her for the rest of the night. It was worth the punches to my self-esteem if it meant that she couldn't get her little paws on him.

I had three other customers besides Lauren—who didn't even leave a tip—but I managed not to screw any of the orders up. Edward was right, though. The tips here were sometimes more than the meals, and truckers stopped in for coffee and pie constantly.

By the end of the night we compiled both of our tips together, estimating seventy three dollars. It went into the top of Edward's dresser, under his socks, with the other tips from the week. He'd cash his paycheck in the morning and we'd probably go grocery shopping after his classes were over.

"How'd your first night of work go?" Edward asked while slipping off his shirt and tossing it into the hamper.

"Alright, I think I've got the hang of it," I said, tucking my shoes near the nightstand.

"And those girls?" There we go, right to the point.

"Just some people from school, Edward." I pulled my shirt over my head. "Promise,"

"I don't like them."

"Join the club."

He moved across the room and pulled out one of his high school track shirts and a pair of boxers. "You up for a shower?"

"Of course," I answered quickly and tugged his hand into the small bathroom.

Most couples who showered together usually did it because the end result was some amazing slippery sex, but it was really convenience for us. The utilities were most of the rent and we did anything we could do to cut them down. Needless to say, I didn't really mind cutting down on the water bill.

Edward switched on the fan and I turned on the shower nozzle so that a hot spray came down. Clothes were stripped into the hamper crammed behind the door and we jumped into the spray.

A loud sigh left my throat as the hot water unknotted my shoulders and back. Edward was right behind me closing the shower curtain, concealing us in our little relaxed sanctuary.

I let the water run over my face and chest while Edward grabbed the shampoo from the side of the tub and began to pour it in his hands to lather it up. As soon as his fingers touched my scalp I turned to jelly. My whole body collapsed against his and we both sighed.

His gentle fingers glided over my body, lathering and rubbing circles around my skin. He could be a masseuse and make millions.

Ten minutes later I was hot and bothered, but we were both squeaky clean. When we got out of the shower his hands were all over me, everywhere at once. In my head I tried to think about when the last time we made love was. It had been right before my last period, so... three weeks.

I turned and threw my arms around his neck, crashing my lips to his and forcing the air out of my lungs in the process. One of his hands held onto the back of my neck while the other was on my hip.

I gasped when I felt him on my stomach. "Edward..."

"I don't think I can wait," he mumbled, almost ashamed.

"Me either," I assured him and moved us backwards—wet and naked—to the bed.

His hands turned gentle and worshipful when I pulled him down. If there was one thing that was sure, bountiful and everlasting about Edward and me, it was our passion, our absolute and complete love. It was unfounded and unparalleled, but it was really that… insanely scary desperation and need that kept us bound together no matter what.

It was sad that we had ended up here, knowing that if a few things had been different we wouldn't have to scrounge cash together or be on the bad end of gossip.

It shouldn't have mattered how old we were, nothing was illegal—now, anyway—or the fact that I was a senior in high school and he was going onto his fourth year of college in a few months. It shouldn't matter that he was five years older than I was or that we were living together.

But taking a step back reveals a lot that those involved can't see. Even though I knew I loved Edward more than life, and that he had sacrificed so much to take care of me, the fact was that people didn't care how much we loved each other; they cared about the fact that we were living in sin and that I 'ran away from home' for a boy.

"Stop," Edward murmured. I looked back at where he was making out with my bellybutton; his eyes were looking up at me. "Still gonna tell me there's nothing wrong?"

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "Today's Renee's birthday and I feel… guilty."

He moved up my body so his chest was flush with mine. "Call her."

I groaned and closed my eyes. "It's not that simple. Renee takes everything personally, and I know that if I did call all she'd do is try to convince me to go back and live with my dad."

"She can't make you do anything; she's in Florida, Bella."

"I know that… but when I moved out of my dad's house she took it like I was leaving _her_. Remember the last time I spoke with her?"

His eyes glazed for minute and he ducked his head into the crook of my neck. "Crying Bella ruins the mood."

I laughed and ran my hands down his broad back. "Maybe I'll send her a card or something, let her know I care at least."

"Moms like cards. I write Esme twice a month." His index finger danced around my areola. "She asked about you," he whispered.

"Really?" I nearly gasped.

"Yeah, she wondered how you were doing… since you moved in and all. Maybe she should call your dad, try and explain or something."

"No," I murmured. "No, it's just better not to even get Charlie involved with this anymore."

"Ugh! No more talk about parents, we're both naked and in a bed for Christ's sake." He sat up and kneeled in front of me. "Legs spread."

"Why?" I asked, but spread them anyway.

He climbed over my body and reached in the nightstand drawer for a little bottle of oil and a condom.

"You don't need that," I said, but he just smiled and poured a generous amount into his palm.

"Bella, have you ever heard of a vaginal massage?"

_Why, no Edward, I have not._

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**A/N: Once again, any questions you have I'd love to answer. I've gotten some really inquisitive thoughts and questions that make even me think, and I'm the one who knows the ending.**

**Don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm sorry, chapter four was replaced with chapter five after I posted. A/N was lost and whatever questions I answered with it. Sorry for the ff glitch.**

**This is unedited, sorry.**

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The one good thing about school that could actually make a day bearable was ceramics.

Besides getting to express myself and paint pottery that I made, it was an amazing way to deal with stress. I was eyeing some nearly bone dry red clay that needed to be wedged.

This was the one class where no one messed with me, maybe it was the fact that when I wedged I beat the clay up and slammed it around a lot more than necessary.

Edward could use a plate… or a huge pasta bowl.

I grabbed the clay cutters and broke off a big piece of the pile before bringing it to the corner table and slamming both hands into it. My bruised wrist gave a dull ache but I kept going and let the sting encourage me.

My hand pushed forward and broke it in more, pushing past the dry cracks and picking it up to flip the clay. I kept pounding at it and pressing it until I could feel my arms begin to ache at the strain.

By that point I was completely fired up so why not put it to good use? I grabbed a bat from under the table and slammed the clay onto it before bringing it over to a wheel and setting the bat up.

I centered it quickly, all that pushing and forcing felt completely good for me. Clay was more helpful for the soul than it was for the skin.

Class seemed to end too quickly by the time I was cutting a bowl off the bat and putting it in the closet. I heaved a sigh and walked out of the art rooms across to English where I sat in the back like usual.

My Romeo and Juliet book was trashed, and when I went to look the morning after Edward had seen it, it was gone. I hoped he didn't throw it away, but I didn't want to bring it up either. If he was playing keep away for information I wasn't giving in.

I pulled out Wuthering Heights instead as my backup book and focused on Heathcliff and Cathy, thinking that I only had three more hours to endure.

The chair next to me moved violently and I could already smell the perfume that Lauren was doused in. She didn't even need to speak to alert everyone in the world that she'd arrived.

I looked up at her and tried to hide my disgust with her. Her disgust with me wasn't as covered up, though. Besides the usual sneer she was doe-eyed and smiled at me.

"Hey," I didn't answer. "So, Friday night, at the diner? Yeah, who was that really hot guy?"

_Fuck_ no.

"Who?" I tried to make my voice not quiver or snap.

"The one with the red hair and the beefy arms," _Beefy? Don't use _beefy _to describe Edward you bitch._

I sat still and didn't say anything, how could I?

I could tell her that I didn't know and I was new. She'd probably walk off and go to the diner every night to see him—flirt with him. My stomach clenched and so did my fists. If she got anywhere near him….

But, what if I told her he was my boyfriend? What if I just said it?

Everyone here always gossiped about how he was probably some loser who couldn't get a job and was failing school. Most people in school had seen me and Edward on occasion, the grocery store wasn't that big. Lauren had never seen him, though. She didn't know who he was, and what would she do if she found out about Edward? Oh God how it would bite her in the ass.

There were so many cons, though. The first one would be everyone would have access to him; they'd know where to find him, who he is. The one thing I had was the security that they couldn't properly judge our relationship because they didn't know us.

_They still wouldn't, not about your relationship. Just because they can put a face to name doesn't mean that they can judge fairly._

_It would give them ammunition._

_It might make them stop._

_That will _never _happen._

"Well?" Lauren sneered and her nice face vanished.

"I'm new; I don't know who he is." I rasped.

"Fucking useless," she whispered while getting up.

_She'll go after him now…_

_You can make that stop._

_She wouldn't stop…_

--

Eight hours later I walked through the door of my home, my sanctuary, without my angel.

Work had been pure hell. The first two hours were fine; they were down one server so I got to waitress and had a pretty enjoyable time doing it, too. That was mainly due to Edward working the floor with me, though.

Around four or so Lauren walked in, wearing the shortest skirt and a tube top. In the middle of fall.

Edward kept side glancing towards me, knowing I wasn't comfortable with this, not one bit, but biting my tongue just the same. He ignored her table and when he went behind the counter to fill up someone's drink she nearly pounced on him with a variety of 'hey!', 'what's your name', 'I've never seen you before are you new, do you need a tour around town?' and when that failed she pulled out all the stops and was blunt.

"You wanna go out?" she was sitting at the counter, figuring out that Edward had to come back every five or so minutes for drinks or to pick up orders. Her elbows were up on the counter and she was twirling her hair with a finger and biting a straw for her milkshake every now and then.

Edward's eyebrows pulled down incredulously and he looked directly at me. His expression gave it all away. I continued to wipe down the table I was at and eavesdrop.

"Uh, I don't think so ma'am." He deadpanned and turned his back on her to occupy himself with the neatly organized silverware.

"What?" she nearly screamed. "Why not?"

"I have a girlfriend," _And you're not his type_.

"Well what does she look like?" Lauren's tone became sugary sweet and I swallowed.

I'd seen this before, in eighth grade she got Mike Newton to break up with Jessica Stanley after pulling this exact move.

"Cutest little thing that I ever did see," he smiled while he nearly sang the words.

"Cute? A man like you doesn't need _cute_ you need a woman. Someone sophisticated and sexy," _And not you._

"Sorry, taken," he grabbed a couple forks and walked out from behind the counter and to the back of the diner. I laughed a bit and he looked over and winked.

At the same time Lauren looked over and glared. I shook my head, in too good of a mood at the moment to even care. Too bad that didn't stop her advances. She was more determined for the rest of the night—until he went to work at the bar.

While I stayed at the counter she kept trying to persuade me to get his number, making it clear to me that I should _give_ her his number once I got because he didn't look like my type. Dogging my self-esteem into making sure that she could get what she wanted. And even when Edward was leaving she followed him out, right on his heels and he was so occupied shaking her off he couldn't even come and say goodbye to me.

I came back to the present and fell down face first into the bed, breathing in his scent and trying desperately to relax. When that failed I crawled over the bed to the nightstand on Edward's side and dug through the stash of CDs for some classical music.

Between Yann Tiersan and Mozart I came in contact with something thick and heavy. Curious, I pulled the object out, being careful not get any of the CDs caught in the drawer. When my hand was out tears formed in my eyes immediately.

I flipped open the new copy of Romeo and Juliet, a hard covered copy with the original art on the front the same as my old one. Inside, the margins were marked with the same words from the original—minus the new comments from my old book. Edward's writing covered each page, each chapter, the same quotes were underlined and the same arrows were pointed in different directions from where they had once been.

I sat there for two hours and read each page and the comments that were made so long ago, now written in Edward's messy scrawl. New comments were added by him here and there, underlined romantic phrases and little asterisks next to things he wanted me to explain to him.

The stupid drawings my friends had made were reproduced in his scribbles and I laughed each time I saw one. I cried when I thought back to how happy I was when the originals were made, and how happy I was at that moment. He wrote my mother's comments differently, his script became less loopy and more cursive the way she would write.

At ten the front door clicked open and I heard Edward shuffle in, putting his jacket on the hook and then he went quiet.

"Bella, are you still awake?" he called.

He rounded the corner; his hair disheveled from work and school and glanced down at me on the bed. His eyebrows pulled together at the sight of me sitting on the bed crying and holding a book. At first his eyes went wide, probably thinking I'd picked up my old book and began to read it again, but when he studied my hands his cheeks tinted pink.

"Th—that's just, I was trying to make it better, and—"

"Thank you," I whispered looking into his eyes.

He dropped his backpack from his left shoulder and walked forward to the bed. He climbed on and leaned his forehead against mine when he was close enough, never losing eye-contact. His fingers grasped the book between his fingers and put it on the nightstand.

When his hands were free they went to my cheeks, the pads of his thumbs brushing the tears from under my eyes and on my cheeks. The room was completely silent; no sounds penetrated this moment, not the humming of the fridge, or the hiss of pipes or the sounds of the parking lot.

His eyes hooded and he leaned forward to press his lips lightly to mine. Our lips were soft, slow and tantalizing against each other, filled with hesitation and love.

Edward's hand slid down from my cheek to my neck and down my arm to my waist. Goosebumps broke out along my skin as his naked flesh dragged slowly along mine.

His lips were slow and methodic along my own with his heavy breath flowing over me and inducing a haze.

Slow, meticulously, patient and lovingly we removed clothing with tender fingers. We'd never been this gentle before, not since our very first time almost a year ago where he'd worshipped my body for hours before making love.

The feelings of possessiveness swam through and detest for anyone who would try to take him away from me, family or not, and I could never bring myself to doubt any justification in being with him.

Tender didn't last long as the stress from the past weeks started to break through and mounted into a desperate, fiery need between us. Fingers pulled and pushed, scratched and clawed, clung and possessed until it didn't matter whose limbs were whose and we moved as one person, one being desperately wanting acceptance and reassurance.

He whispered over and over again how much he loved me because somehow, after all this time, he still doubted he was enough. I knew he was afraid that I would leave and I was afraid he would tell me to leave, and in that way where we were so desperately in love that we were restless we found a hollowed out fear that couldn't be buried no matter how much love or adoration was wrapped around this anxiety.

We came violently with blood curdling screams and formation. We were curled in our own little shell, crying and screaming with our hands tearing flesh apart and digging for the soul.

Afterwards we curled together in a panting, sweaty mess of flesh and limbs, not ready to face any reality at all really. His hands were rubbing up and down my back and he was humming a song under his breath, nearly asleep.

I was pretty sure it was past midnight and the thought that I had to get up in six hours forced my eyes closed. As soon as a black blanket wrapped around me the phone started to shriek and squeal for attention.

Edward groaned loudly, sitting up and stumbling out of bed. He mumbled something under his breath and I watch his naked body disappear through the door.

"Hello?" he mumbled in his tired, grainy voice. "Oh!" I heard his feet pad against the floor as he rushed to bedroom. I was too distracted by his pelvis to notice that he was making hand gestures. "Renee!" he hissed.

"What?" I gasped while sitting up. I wrapped the sheet around my body because I already felt so disrespectful to her as it was.

"Alright, here she is Mrs. Dwyer, have a nice night." Edward handed me the phone and gestured if I wanted him to leave. I shook my head and pulled him down onto the bed before taking the phone from him.

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**A/N: Questions are welcome.**

**Don't forget to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffy last chapter. I didn't think it was that bad, but I can see now how it would suck to not know what the conversation between Bella and Renee was about until I decided to update.**

**To clear up somethings, most people at Bella's school don't know who Edward is. They know he's a college student, they know Bella was kicked out from her home, and they know she's living with Edward. That's it. Some might have spotted her out and about--since Forks IS small--but nothing of consequence.**

**Your reviews are like gold to my treasure chest. Arg.**

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"Hello?" I said into the phone and then swallowed immediately to dislodge the lump.

"Bella?" The voice on the other end asked. "Hey… it's Renee, in case you couldn't tell."

"Yeah, no. I mean… I know," I side-glanced at Edward and he gestured to go on, telling me I was doing fine.

"I just wanted to check in on you. Oh, it's probably late there! I didn't even think about the time difference. One minute I was just sitting here watching Wheel of Fortune and then 'Bella Italia' was one of the prize puzzles and I just thought of you." She babbled and laughed at the end.

"I was thinking of you too, mom." I shifted and leaned my head on Edward's shoulder. "I'm sorry I missed your birthday, but I sent you a card if that's worth anything."

"Oh, Bella, it's worth everything." She sighed. "I wish you would have called; Phil kept telling me I was being a baby and to just go ahead and do it, but I don't know… something about it didn't seem right—I know you're busy probably, what with school and everything going on…." She hesitated at the end, venturing into a rough area.

"No, it's fine, really. I wanted to call you, too. But like you said, it just didn't seem right." Edward's fingers rubbed up and down my back to comfort me. "What did you do?"

"Remember that little châteaux I was telling you about before? The little place by the water with the rose bushes and a wine cellar? Phil got reservations there! Oh my goodness, it was so beautiful. And all of our friends were there, grandma and grandpa, too." She sighed dreamily. "I wish you could have come. I feel like I haven't hugged in you in forever."

"I know," I whispered. "But it's only been a couple months."

"Still too long," she scoffed and laughed at the same time. "Tell me about school, are you still holding honor roll?"

"Yeah. I just got my quarter grades last week, actually. If it weren't for trigonometry I'd be on high honor roll."

"Math's never been your strong point. How about English, though?"

"Solid hundred,"

"Really?" she gasped. "I'm so proud of you! Phil, Come here!"

I laughed and looked up at Edward who was smiling down at me, giving me encouragement in generous amounts. His nails raked lightly up and down my back in a soothing motion.

"You okay?" he whispered. I nodded back and he bent down to kiss my forehead before lying down beside me and throwing an arm around my waist.

"So, what else is new?" Renee asked when she was done bragging to Phil.

"Not much," I answered rubbing my hands up and down Edward's arm.

"Well, I take it you're still… living with Edward…" she hesitated. "And I mean, that's fine. I was just wondering."

"Um, yeah," my back straightened and Edward's arm tightened. "I am—we are,"

"Have you… talked to Charlie at all?" her voice dropped a bit.

"No, not since I came here."

"Maybe you should call him, or leave a message. He does care about you, and I know I really have no place to get involved, but… you are my daughter, and Charlie is your father. I don't want you two to fight like this. He loves you, Bella."

"I know mom, I know," I sighed. Edward's lips touched my side and he pulled me closer.

_I'm not leaving you… _ever_._

"Bella, please, just—just hear me out for a moment." I didn't say anything and she continued. "I know you think you're in love—"

"I am."

"Okay, I know you're in love with this boy. But honestly Bella, _think_ about this! I know that you and Charlie didn't have a big knock down drag out fight over this, but you're ruining your relationship with your _father_! I know you could say that I left Charlie, and I did, but I didn't ever jeopardize my relationship with my parents."

"You married him when your parents told you it was a mistake," I argued.

"I did, I know I did, but I worked on my parents. They liked Charlie and, God, Bella. I know this is immature, but we were both in high school. Honey, this is a college student and I'd hate to say it—"

"Then don't."

"Bella… think about it. You're a barely legal high school student with a twenty something college kid. If I know boys at all—and I do—there's only one thing on his mind."

"You don't understand anything!" I yelled and the barrier I'd been holding to keep in the tears broke. "You just don't get it, do you? I've tried to explain to you so many times and you're still so stuck in your views!"

Edward sat up beside me and caressed my skin, trying to calm me down before I said something I'd regret later.

"Bella, maybe it's time for you to grow up," Renee said more firmly. "I haven't acted like the parent, and I admit to it, but I am now. You may be mature, but you certainly are _not_ an adult."

"_Really_? Are you _really_ telling me that right now? You can't possibly be serious!"

"I am, Bella! You need to stop this! This is a huge mistake you're making. I know it, I've been there. It's a never ending cycle!"

"Never ending? Then what are you doing with Phil? Is _he_ part of the cycle? Do you expect to wake up in the morning and have divorce papers under your nose?"

"Of course not," she murmured. "But you're young, Bella. You think this guy is great, he's probably giving you the world on a silver platter, but that only lasts so long..."

"You don't get it," I whispered, and for a moment I just focused on Edward. I focused on everything about him, everything that made me _get it_. "You don't understand it, mom."

"What don't I understand, Isabella? What is that I just don't get, huh?" she yelled.

I looked up at Edward whose eyes were so worried, so gentle and strong and caring—for me. His forest green eyes reflected everything that was passing through his head. He smiled reassuringly at me, trying to convey some sense of normalcy for us.

"You don't get _love_, mom." I murmured. Edward's hand brushed my cheek while I continued to speak. "You think that just because it didn't work out for you that there's no such thing." I couldn't look away from Edward, not those swirling, bright green eyes that captivated me. "I'm in love, I really am."

"I don't want to fight anymore tonight." Renee growled. "Just think about what I said, Bella."

"Uh-huh."

"Bye, Bella."

"'Night, mom." The dial tone struck me at the end of my sentence and I sighed, pressing the end button. "She hung up."

Edward pulled me down, throwing the covers over us and cuddling our nude bodies together. "Morning comes too soon; let's try to get some sleep."

I nodded my head against his chest and pulled myself as close as possible.

--

Morning did come too soon. _Much_ too soon.

The alarm clock blared, Edward punched the snooze button and after nine minutes of slow groaning and morning breath kisses the clock went off again.

We showered, and while Edward shaved I started to pour the pancake mix into a pan. Ten minutes later he came out in his regular pair of dress pants without a shirt and his hair standing up around his head from being towel dried.

I tossed him a strawberry and he took over my spot at the stove while I got dressed quickly. I grabbed a pair of jeans, a shirt, and his sweatshirt from high school track. Tugging it over my head I smiled at the comfy worn material that felt so soft against my skin.

After breakfast Edward and I went down to the parking lot hand-in-hand and went our separate ways. I watched his car drive out of sight, knowing that I'd see him in six more hours.

School dragged on for those six hours. Pure, unadulterated hell. The entire time I guilt tripped myself about Renee. She had called with good intentions, but we both knew it would end up the way it did. Maybe it was my fault for not explaining it thoroughly, though. It seemed so obvious to me why I was in love with Edward; it had been like that since the first day we met at some stupid party.

We were both the designated drivers for our group of friends, and while my friends mingled with hot drunk college kids and his friends hit on naïve young high school girls, we talked about everything from music to literature to politics and religion. Everything he said had this edge of enthusiasm, like everything uttered out of his mouth was the secret of the universe and he was only too excited to share it.

When I spoke to him I wanted to listen. I wanted to learn and I wanted to know every detail about his past and present and more than anything to be apart of his future.

The gradual drift from my friends didn't happen when we started to date; it started when I realized how much more there was to conversation and life than petty gossip, shopping and beauty products to cover up every line or imperfection.

Edward liked the freckle on my neck and the little dimple in my right cheek and the natural red in my hair when I was in the sunlight. He didn't care if my eyelashes were darker and longer or if I had a layer of powder to cover my skin or make it tanner.

We would speak on the phone every night for hours on end and laugh at stupid jokes we found online or heard. I sighed out loud in the middle of math thinking about it. After assessing that no one was perturbed enough to comment or glance I chose to go back and daydream about Edward instead of paying attention.

Edward's face kept flashing in front of my eyes. Images of us on his couch appeared and I could imagine his voice explaining a problem to me, solving it out on my calculator and laughing at my enthusiasm when I got it right.

I wondered what he was doing at that moment. He was probably serving truckers who were passing up to Canada or maybe going down to California. I wondered if he dreamt about me during the day like I did about him….

I tried not to think about my mom and her words. But how could I not? She was my mother, my supposed best friend and she didn't even try to understand me. She was accusatory and even if she had good intentions she couldn't bring herself to think for one minute that I was really devoted to Edward.

And then my father…

I decided it was time to zone back in and pay attention to the notes on the board and the incessant numbers that were forming out of nowhere.

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**A/N: Questions welcome with open arms. Unless pertaining to anything pregnancy related.**

**Don't forget to review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm sorry, once again for the long wait. Family and personal issues, but once finals are done I'll be updating more frequently.**

**This is, in my opinion, the best chapter in this story. I know its really short, but I wrote a side-note at the end of this detailing how it felt to write it. That gut wrenching feeling that you get when you're really intensely in touch with your characters. I want them to be happy, but it's like they're telling me how important it is to take it step-by-step. This is new to me because it's stronger than my love for my _Memento Mori_ characters.**

**So... hope I do them justice.**

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"How was school?" Edward asked, drying a dish I handed him.

"Alright, pretty boring and slow." I answered. "How was work?"

"So far it's been alright," he nudged my shoulder with his arm and we both knew what _so far _meant. "How do you feel about Little Miss Persistent?"

"You mean Little Miss Can't-Take-A-Hint? Annoyed,"

"We could do something about it…"

"I know,"

He put the dish into the pile of plates and turned to me, dropping the rag. "Okay, what's going on? At first I thought you were just trying to get brownie points with customer service but this isn't like you."

"That's Lauren Mallory," I answered picking up another dish and focusing all of my attention on scrubbing the crusty sauce from the plate.

Edward stood still for a minute, contemplating that like I just told him he had three months to live. He faced forward again and braced his hands on the counter. One hand slipped off and ran through his hair.

"_That's_ the queen bitch?" he mumbled. "Well I'll be damned… why didn't you tell me this before, Bella?"

"I didn't think it mattered." I muttered.

"_Bella_," he said in a bewildered voice. "Do you honestly think I believe that for one God damn minute? Why didn't you tell me?"

He turned to face me now, removing the plate from my hands and putting a hand on my shoulder to turn me so I was looking at him. His eyebrows were pushed together and pulled upward in anger and disbelief.

"I don't want her to know who you are." I answered honestly.

"What? Why?"

"The one thing she doesn't have on us, the one thing that I couldn't live with if everyone knew, they don't know you, they can't really judge us if they don't know you."

"Other kids from your school have seen us before. Last Saturday at the grocery store that girl and her boyfriend, you said you knew them and nothing happened." He argued.

"That was Angela Weber, we used to be best friends, she's indifferent to me now. Lauren's different, though. You know those girls on TV whose daddy spoils them and they're super bitches—those shows are based on her life."

"Bella, you're being overdramatic about this whole thing. One kiss on the cheek or pet name could end this." He rolled his eyes.

"No, I just—she can't have that power. I know I'm being overdramatic, but it's bad enough at school, and I know it's bad at work, but I can't—" I sucked in a sharp breath as the front door's bells sounded through the restaurant at exactly four o'clock.

Edward's eyes darted over to the chef's window and his face contorted into a grimace as she sat at the counter and blew off the waiter trying to take her order. She saw Edward and winked at him.

Maybe I was I overreacting or it was just getting to me at that moment, but I threw my dish rag down in the sink and stormed out of the kitchen and through the back doors. I wiped the ridiculous tears from my eyes and slunk down the wall on the opposite side of the dumpster just wanting this day to be over with.

The back door slammed open a minute after I came out and Edward fell to his knees in front of me, an angry look on his face.

"So that's it? When things get tough you're just gonna walk away and cry?" he barked.

"What?" I asked. Edward never raised his voice at me in all the time I'd known him. He'd never looked at me like—like he was pissed.

"Bella, I'm not letting you walk away from me, okay?" his hands grabbed my shoulders and he shook a little. "I'm scared—every fucking day—that you'll just walk out on me. I know you're going through hell right now and it's because of me—"

"No, Edward—"

"You can't keep denying it!"

"It's my decision, it's my _choice_! I choose you! I choose only you, over my friends, my family, everything!"

"You can change your mind one day. Your mom is right, she's absolutely right…" he pulled his hands away from me and stood up to pace and run his hands through his hair compulsively.

Part of my mind began to panic at the irrational crap he was sputtering, and part of my mind knew that he was finally putting his fears out there and that we weren't as secure as we thought we were.

He paced back and forth, muttering things under his breath while his mind deliberated and butted heads. I wondered what he was thinking; feeling like nothing good could come from this.

One wrong step and this—us—we could be done for. It was relationship sadomasochism that we were in. One wrong step and we would both end up completely destroyed.

But if we could do this, if we could make it and really learn that love truly does conquer everything, money, bills, school, impossibility. We were meant to be together, we both knew this so thoroughly and completely that neither one could deny it, but it was just so… hard.

"I don't think I'm good enough." I blurted.

His pacing stopped and he turned to me, eyes incredulous. His mouth opened to speak but he snapped it closed again. He swallowed a couple times and when he spoke his voice cracked.

"I think I'm boring and I can't hold your interest for much longer." He whispered.

"I'm afraid you'll ask me to leave,"

"I'm afraid to go to sleep because sometimes I dream that you're not there in the morning."

"The last time we had sex I scratched your shoulders and neck so girls would see it at work and leave you alone."

"I put hickies on your hips because when you stretch, my sweatshirt goes over your hips and I know how much high school guys feel intimidated by experienced girls." He didn't pause as he kept listing. "I have a picture of you sleeping in my wallet because I'm afraid I'll never see it again when I come home. I have nightmares about your dad busting down the door with evidence of statutory rape before you were eighteen and hauling me off to jail—on our wedding day."

"You dream about us getting married?" I whispered.

He nodded. "Yeah, all the time,"

"Me, too," he sat on the ground in front of me, his eyes softer now and more like the Edward I loved eyes. "I think about how good you would look in a tux."

He laughed. "Whenever I see a white dress I think about you in it, and us somewhere on a beach without a care in the world."

"That'll be us, someday," I whispered. He picked up my hand and kissed the back of it.

"When I get out of student loans and start a job as a doctor in some big hospital with a big paycheck I'll take you to Bermuda on pink sandy beaches."

I leaned forward on my knees and wrapped my arms around his neck. We stayed like that for a moment, just the two of us in love and sad but still together and hopeful.

"We need to get back to work." I sighed.

"I know," he responded lamely. "I need to get to school, too."

We walked back inside and while he got his backpack and books and I contemplated slowly. He walked out through the server's door and upon seeing him Lauren perked and so did her chest.

He was just about to walk by her and open the door when I tugged on his arm and he turned around, a smile playing on his lips. I reached up on the tips of my toes and pressed my lips firmly to his, reveling in the sense of purposefulness.

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**A/N: Thoughts, questions, opinions, predictions? Anything's welcome.**

**Don't forget to review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I really just don't say it enough. I LOVE MY REVIEWERS. You're kind and inspiring words put the cherry on top of my sundae when I need it the most. I wanna hug every one of you and never let ya go!**

**If you want snippets of this story or others that are in the works, or just follow my boring, daily life, I made a Twitter: http://twitter (DOT) com/RosetteCullen**

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My 'take action' plan hadn't been working out to my advantage.

After my empowerment move of kissing Edward as he walked out the door, I moved with confidence and semi-grace, but no signs of regret. That was until Lauren's bout of surprise turned into that of some mental betrayal approach.

"So you don't _know him_?" she hissed when I was behind the counter. "I know you're used to kissing up on random guys but come on, have some class—"

"That's my boyfriend, genius," I snapped. I had every right to snap or lash out, and why not take my temporary confidence and use to it to aid me?

When I turned to hand her some stupid burger concoction that the chef nearly spat at me for handing him the order, she was glaring at me incredulously. A thousand things were being screamed in her expression.

"_That's_ your boyfriend?" she scoffed. "How much are you paying him?"

"Ha ha," I grabbed a tray of salads and bussed them to a table full of smiling adults who were laughing and toasting their glasses of beer.

It was five thirty and Lauren was still firmly rooted in her seat. By six the diner started to empty and with less and less distractions I was stuck behind the counter waiting for truckers to come in and order coffee or pie.

"Why didn't you tell me he was your boyfriend?" Lauren asked.

"It didn't matter."

"Why?"

"It didn't make a difference."

"What do you mean?"

"Edward would never go for someone like you," I blurted before I could stop myself.

My eyes closed briefly and I stopped moving the rag around the countertop for second. Lauren didn't move but I could feel her intense stare aimed at my back.

"Oh really?" she laughed. Her hand grabbed a salt container and she pulled the lid off before splaying it all over the counter. "You missed a spot, Ugly Duckling."

_Don't punch her face in… whatever you do don't punch her face in…_

I grabbed the rag and started to move it over the grains of salt, pushing them into a small pile and then wiping them into the garbage pale under the counter. Lauren's hard glare never eased the entire time. She grabbed her half eaten burger and took the bread from the top and then smashed the ketchup covered meat patty on the counter.

My mouth popped open in shock. Was she six?

Lauren bristled, her eyes dead cold and hateful and I knew she couldn't be this upset over something so stupid. I retracted that back in my mind; I'd seen her act out at less compelling events than this.

"Clean it up, bitch," she upturned her whole plate spilling all kinds of condiments onto the counter and sending her cut up of lettuce and fries all over the floor.

"What's going on out there?" the chef behind me looked out through the window and he frowned. "You better clean that up before Sam sees it."

"Yeah, get to it," Lauren laughed a little but it was marred by her downturned mouth.

I stood for a moment, debating whether or not to bend down at her feet and pick up the mess or just leave it and go home early for the night. Confident Bella dropped down on her knees and began to sweep up the mess of the fries and lettuce with the mini-broom.

"Bitch…" I whispered to myself.

"I'm sure you've been there before—on your knees."

"Thanks for the clarification," I muttered.

That set her off and she kicked her chair back before kneeling down in front of me. I made sure all of the fries were in the dustpan when I looked up into her scornful, hate-filled eyes.

"I don't know who you think you are," she whispered menacingly. "But I've had it with you Isabella Swan. You're the fakest, ugliest and most disgusting bitch I've ever known."

"What… what the hell are you talking about?" I stuttered.

Okay, confident confrontational time over. _Get the fuck away from her now!_

I stood up and dumped the fries, trying to look like I wasn't freaking shaking and wondering what the hell her problem was. This went beyond bullying; this was something that had to do with hating someone and tormenting someone to the point of hurting that person.

She muttered something under her breath, threw the exact change for her meal on the counter and walked out, not even bothering with me. I heard her tires squeal as she left the parking lot but even though I felt safer with her gone I just stood there, completely unmoving and breathing deeply to try and shrug off the flutter in my stomach.

_Oh yeah, things will get way better now._

"Shut the fuck up," I whispered.

--

"You're anxious," Edward said as he crawled into bed that night. His arms wrapped around me until my back touched his chest and his lips were at the nape of my neck.

"I am not," I sighed.

"How did things go after I left?" his fingers played with my ponytail.

_All hell broke loose. _"Nothing of consequence."

"Uh-huh, what else?"

"Nothing, Edward!" I turned to my left. His arms disentangled themselves from around me and he sat up in bed, flicking on the light in the process.

"Bella, what the hell's going on? No—don't give me that look, just fucking tell me already." He moved to sit with his legs crossed.

Irrational anger swelled up in my chest and I threw the covers off of me. "Why do you care?"

"Are—are you kidding me, Bella?" he laughed a little hysterically. "You really can't figure that out?"

"I'm sleeping on the couch," I grabbed my pillow and the flimsy cotton blanket at the end of the bed and walked out of our room.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Edward was right behind me with his hands on my shoulders. He tugged me backwards into his chest and grabbed the pillow and blanket from my hands. "No, you're not sleeping on the couch, there's no way in hell you're sleeping on the couch."

"Why not? I don't feel like arguing and I don't feel like talking." I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Bella… what's gotten into you?" his voice was desperate… pleading. I swallowed hard and bit my lip to stop the tears from coming.

"I—I don't know. I'm tired and stressed—God, I don't know." My hands went to my forehead and I ran them through my hair and tugged my ponytail ends. His eyes showed me he understood it all, that he'd been at this breaking point for a while.

"Let's just, just go back bed, Bella." He coaxed me with a gentle hand on the small of my back.

I nodded, feeling a migraine coming on and hoping that maybe sleep could deter its path.

After Edward fell asleep with a frown on his lips, I propped myself up on an elbow and just watched him. I watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest and his full pink lips.

I started to cry after a while, just soft streaming tears with choked, muted sobs coming once in a while. I wondered how long love could keep us together and what the hell we would do once I was out of high school, I finally allowed myself to think about all of these things that I never wanted to acknowledge.

And my dad… I promised him I would come and talk to him sometime soon after I moved out….

I wormed my way onto his arm and it instinctually wrapped around my waist. I welcomed the heavy warmth and allowed myself to think about all the bad stuff for the first time.

* * *

**A/N: Chapters are short, I know, but this is a short story. It's actually my first attempt at a short story that actually worked. Sometimes I just get too attached to let 'em go.**

**Don't forget to review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Have you ever gotten that swirling in your tummy like butterflies or bats? Every time I see a review and read the support and love from everyone it makes that feeling come up and I smile. **

**A couple people have asked about a line from a previous chapter where Edward states he's scared Charlie would come around with statutory rape charges. They met when Bella was seventeen, but I never really clarified if they were intimate or not before Bella was eighteen. I've grown up with the notion that love is love and you love who you love regardless of who they are. Also, statutory law where I live is sixteen so it doesn't bother me one bit. If it bothers you, that's fine, but I never clearly stated if they'd been together so it's up to the reader if they were or not.**

* * *

The one thing worse than being tormented, is being ignored. That's exactly what happened when I went into school the next day after my confrontation with Lauren.

No one made a single comment or gave me one sideways glance. They all acted as if I never existed, like I was just a floating spirit. I had to actually pinch myself to silence the thought that I was sleeping.

At first it was nice, I thought maybe everyone was just as fed up with teasing and taunting as I was, but by lunch I figured it was more.

I usually didn't eat lunch at school, I spent my time in library, reading or working on homework, sometimes I'd email Edward or read something from him. The front rows of tables in the library were filled with kids, and the regulars there were seniors, more specifically Tyler Crowley and Lauren. None of them spared me one glance. The only thing that happened was a crumpled paper ball hitting my back as I just made it to a bookcase.

That was completely tame, completely mild, but for some reason it just… made me feel worse.

It was like they were just ignoring my existence. I knew I wasn't some blip on the radar as far as extraordinary or special, I was normal, I was average, but just the acknowledgement of that… it hurt.

I left early; right after lunch was over just so I wouldn't have to deal with chemistry or gym. I sped home as quickly as I could, hoping and wondering if Edward would be home for lunch or to get his stuff ready for class later on.

The lot at my complex was nearly empty when I got home and then I sprinted up the stairs to the third floor. I waved to the elderly woman who lived next door and she nodded to me while taking her garbage down. Any other time I'd have offered to help, but I didn't think I could manage to get the down stairs without breaking down.

Once I had the door closed behind me I looked around the apartment frantically. His jacket was hanging by the hook and his keys were on the counter in the kitchen, a glass half full of water was sitting next to the phone.

_He's here! _

I rushed to the bedroom and leaned against the doorway. Edward was lying on the bed flat on his stomach with his feet hanging off the end of the bed. His face was half buried in the pillow and his back rose and fell with each breath he took.

The red light for the alarm was blinking so I went over and curled up beside him, not knowing how long I'd have in his arms.

--

I woke what seemed like ten minutes later with a warm weight on the top of the head. It rubbed back and forth, smooth along my hair and came to down to stroke my skin.

I popped an eye open slowly, getting used to the dim light that came in through the window.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty," I opened both eyes to see Edward's bright green orbs staring back at me. I was snuggled into his chest and he had a hand combing through my hair soothingly.

I sighed aloud, burying my face in his neck.

Pulling his arms tighter around me, he chuckled. "What are you doing home?"

"I didn't feel well, so I decided to come home," I murmured. "Why are _you_ home?"

"I always come home around noon. I either get lunch or sleep before class," his long fingers scratched my scalped.

"You don't have classes tonight."

"I don't have work either."

"Huh?" I popped my head up like a gopher. Edward smiled at me.

"Sam called; the health inspector's coming in soon. They had to close down while he gets a good look at everything," he kissed my forehead. "Just us tonight."

"Thank God," I sighed. I popped up—my whole body this time. "Wait! I was going to see my father tonight."

Edward's eyes narrowed just the slightest bit in surprise and he sighed loudly. He fell onto his back and pulled his arms over his eyes. "What time?"

"He usually gets off at six on weekdays…"

"Three hours of alone time, that's more than usual anyway." His arm wrapped around my waist and I shivered when I felt his fingers snake under my panties. "How about we put it to good use?"

--

Two hours later we managed to haul ourselves from bed and get into the shower to clean up the sweaty mess that we were.

I grabbed my nicest shirt and pants, dried my hair, even put on makeup. Edward put on a button-up and a pair of slacks. Even though he'd be waiting in the car, he wanted to be prepared. His respect for Charlie was profound.

At six thirty we pulled up outside of my old home. The lights were on inside, the cruiser was parked in the drive, and I could see the light from the TV through the front window.

"Are you sure?" Edward asked as I popped the door open.

"Yes, I'm sure," I sighed.

"I'm right here if you need me. I'll be right here waiting for you if you need to leave," his eyes got serious quickly.

"I know. I love you, Edward," he smiled and ducked his head to my lips, murmuring my words in return.

I paced through the brisk weather and up to the front door. I pushed hard on the little button for the doorbell, then, I waited patiently.

My senses were concentrated on every little sound behind the door. I could hear the creak of the chair as he got up, heaving himself like he always did. The floorboards creaked as he got closer to the door and then the lock clicked.

Charlie had a couple dollars in his hand and an exasperated smile on his lips, but when he saw me his face went pale. The dollars in his hand dropped while he took in the sight of his daughter.

"Bells?" he whispered.

"Hi dad," I waved awkwardly for a moment while he assessed the situation.

His eyes darted over my shoulder—looking at Edward—and his brows lowered a bit. I hoped that took the notion I was coming back to move in out of his mind. There were things that needed to be settled before I came even close to that.

"Um… why don't you come in?" he moved aside and made no move to wait for Edward if he wanted to come.

I sat on the couch across from the chair, relishing in the way the old cushions morphed to my body in the most comfortable of ways.

The house wasn't a mess, but it wasn't well kept either. It needed a good dusting around the shelves and tables, there were dishes piled up in the sink, but it looked like he was making an effort to do them. A shiny new dishwasher was fixed underneath the sink, replacing two large cabinets.

"You look good, kid," Charlie said while sitting in his recliner. He clicked off the TV and smiled at me.

"I am good," I smiled and wrung my hands. "You look good, too, dad."

"You're just saying that," he chuckled a little. "Pizza and Fritos can't be too good for me."

I frowned. "I thought you gave up Fritos?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I relapsed?" we both laughed a little, nothing outrageous or bonding, but something to clear up the crackling tension in the air.

"How's work at the station?" I asked.

"Fine, fine, slow as usual, but the less trouble the better," he ran a hand through his thinning hair. "How's school?"

"School's going well, I made honor role," he smiled and his face lit up. "Mom reacted the same way."

"You spoke with Renee?" he asked astounded.

"Yeah, the other night, the day after her birthday," Charlie nodded his head once and the lightheartedness dispersed.

"So what brings you by?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. I promised you a visit a while ago and I never kept that promise."

"You didn't have to, Bells—"

"I wanted to, dad. I missed you." I smiled sadly and he reciprocated.

"I take it things are alright with… Edward," his jaw clenched a bit.

"Yeah… yeah, things are going well. I'm really happy with him, I just got a job with him, so he goes to school at night, I go in the morning and in the afternoons we're together."

"Sounds complicated for a high school kid."

I shrugged. "Not really."

I could leave out the fact that I was struggling to suppress the stress and doubt. Edward and I were working on it; we could make it through this.

"I know it's been a while since you left," Charlie started to wring his hands, a nervous look on his face. "But have you given any thought in maybe coming back here? It's lonely without you around."

I smiled at him and sighed a little. It sounded… nice. It sounded appealing to come back home with Charlie, but when I thought about the concept of home, I thought of Edward, and I thought of our little apartment with the water stain in the bathroom ceiling.

"Have you given any thought about Edward?" I asked in return.

"Bella," he sighed. "You know I don't hate the kid. I know it may seem that way, but I do regret giving you that ultimatum before. In all honesty, when I told you to drop the college kid or move out, I didn't think you'd move out."

"Did you think that maybe I did that because I'm really in love with him?" I asked. "I love Edward, and he loves me, and in a way I'm glad I moved out when I did, because last two months with Edward have been great—although difficult—and I know that we're perfect together."

"Bella, just think about this—"

"I have, over and over again." I retorted.

"Alright, okay, no more fighting. I have you back in this house and there's no way I'm going to argue you out the door."

"I'm sorry dad," I whispered.

"Don't be," he got up when the doorbell rang and he picked up the money he'd dropped before I came in. "You want to stay for dinner? I ordered enough for a couple days worth."

Guilt shot through me but I nodded, mumbling "yes" as I did.

Charlie handed off the money to the delivery kid and then hesitated at the door. "Edward!" Edward's head snapped up from where he was thumbing through CDs and Charlie waved him inside. He turned to me. "I'll try to be civil for you, Bells."

Tears welled in my eyes I nodded a little. "Thank you, dad,"

"Just remember I love you, kid."

* * *

**A/N: No big fall out. I think some people were looking for confrontation, but that's not the case. Charlie gave her an ultimatum and she picked her side.**

**I like hearing about all the relationships and about how they're akin to this story. **

**What's a moment in any relationship that you remember more than anything?**

**Don't forget to review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I love your romance stories. The most memorable parts of a relationship are meeting them and those who are married, the proposal. So romantic. :)**

**Super important chapter that sets the tone for the rest of the story coming up.**

* * *

A week after Edward, Charlie and I had all sat at the little kitchen table and eaten cheese pizza while talking things out, I felt like I was on cloud nine.

Edward was obscenely polite, shaking his hand and paying acute attention to every word that fell out of Charlie's tightlipped mouth. They watched Sport's Center together and Edward listened to all of the ridiculous basketball stories and strategies that Charlie spoke about, finally finding some sort of common ground to work on.

I sat by quietly and intervened when an awkward or tense moment came up. Edward had slipped that _we_ had a signed basketball from a UCONN player in _our_ apartment. Charlie's jaw hinged and unhinged while that sank in. He didn't mention me moving back in at any point, though.

A week after our cordial meeting Charlie and I had gone to lunch together once and spoke on the phone almost every night. He stopped saying Edward's name so tightly and asked with genuine curiosity how his studies were going.

If there was one thing Charlie respected about Edward, it was the fact that he took care of me even though he was struggling through school as an up and coming doctor.

The tension with Edward disappeared completely after that night. We were sickly attached at the hip, more lovey-dovey than we'd ever been in our relationship before. We laughed carelessly and he made me dance around the apartment to Frank Sinatra and Roy Orbison.

School, well, I learned to ignore the social aspect and focus solely and intently on school _work_.

I managed to pull my trig grade up to a ninety three and I was determined to get to ninety five if it killed me.

Which it nearly did.

Thanksgiving was on its way soon. The roads were lined with faux fall foliage around the lampposts and the sidewalks in town, turkeys were being shipped in by the truckloads and Renee called frequently to try and force me into going down to Jacksonville to see her.

Edward's parents were in the Midwest somewhere and his mother was begging for the exact same thing. I had to keep a hand over my mouth to stop the giggles when he let me listen in on a phone call.

A week before thanksgiving Edward approached me a bit hesitantly.

"Bella?" he asked.

"What is it, Edward?" I leaned up on my elbows in bed and put the book I was reading face down.

He climbed in beside me, cold from the air outside when he brought down the trash. He wiggled his way under the covers and I wormed my way away from his cold skin.

He took a deep breath. "My mom's coming down for thanksgiving."

"She's _what_?" I gasped.

I sprung upright and looked down at him incredulously. "My dad can't make it because they're short a couple surgeons at the hospital." He explained as if it made it better.

"We're going to my dad's," I stated.

"Yeah, I know, and I fully intend to keep that, but my mom bought the ticket last week and she was so excited about coming in to visit that I just—I couldn't just tell her _no_ and deny her having a family thanksgiving."

"What about your father—"

"My dad's resourceful, he'll be fine," Edward leaned his head on my pillow and wrapped a thick arm around my waist to pull me down. "Are you mad?"

"No…"

"Are you okay with it?"

I hesitated. "What if she doesn't like me?" I whispered.

Edward didn't speak for a while. He didn't outright scoff and tell me I was insane or ask me how I could think that. He didn't have a cordial meeting with my mother on the best of terms and well, that didn't go too well either.

"She'll like you," he murmured after a while. "Just be yourself and she'll like you. She'll love you." He kissed my shoulder.

I nodded mutely while my brain swirled around different scenarios of her walking in the door and hugging me, or walking in the door slapping me.

--

The day before thanksgiving, Edward and I were running around the apartment and cleaning furiously at everything that looked even minutely out of place.

I'd spent the whole week organizing every book, CD, recipe paper and canned food alphabetically because Edward's mother was a neat freak. Even though he said she never forced it upon anyone else, I felt the impulse to fix every imperfection.

Edward was on break from school for two weeks so he'd prepared everything we could need for a thanksgiving feast.

We would have an early dinner at Charlie's around three before he went to the station for the night, and then around nine Edward's mom would come in from her five hour flight—to the apartment.

Sleeping arrangements were going to be hell.

--

"Overwhelmed?" Edward whispered in the dark.

"A little," I whispered back.

"Wanna know what'll make it better?" he asked with a suppressed laugh.

I burrowed closer to him in a vain attempt to roll off of the spring from the couch-bed that was in my lower back. "What?"

He muffled his laughs on the top of my head. "My mom's sleeping in our bed…"

I shoved him back from me and shook the images out of my head. "Ugh! You're such a boy!"

--

"Bella?" Esme asked from the kitchen table.

I turned to her, watching the way her perfect caramel hair was so… vivacious at nine in the morning.

Over the past week we'd spoken and made friendly chatter here and there, but nothing that would stand as us being the best of friend and giving me her blessing to continue on with her son.

She met my father, they smiled and made idle conversation, Charlie tried not to ask Esme what her son's problem was and why he was going after a high schooler, but it was a calm, peaceful meeting.

She got up every morning at seven AM and started to brew coffee and showered. She spent one to two hours working on her hair and clothing choices and by the time I got up Edward was making pancakes or waffles.

Not once in that entire time did she mention anything about our living arrangements or our plans. She asked about how we met, how long we'd been dating for, but I knew for a fact that Edward had told her those things before.

It made feel… like she didn't trust me.

It made me feel like she was waiting for her moment, biding her time, to say something to me.

I waited by the counter, watching her watch me in the quiet apartment since Edward had gone to check in with work about taking our last day off.

"Yes, Mrs.—Esme," she smiled at my slip up and circled the tip of her finger over her coffee mug's rim.

"Thank you," she murmured.

_What?_ I stared at her for a moment and after a while she drew her eyes downward to watch the murky brown depths of her coffee.

"Um, for what?" I asked.

She sighed, stretched her arms out in front of her. "Well, there's a lot. I was worried about Edward coming out here when he first told us—his father and myself—he was so desperate to break free from home and become independent, it worried me, really." She smiled and shook her head. "And for turning my little boy into a man."

I flushed; I could feel the blood rise from the bottom of my feet and leave my legs tingling numb as it all rushed to my face. _Oh dear God._

"I'm not—I don't think—" I babbled.

Esme's brow crinkled and then her posture shot upward even more. "Oh! Oh no, not like that—I mean, yes, in a way, but that's not what I mean. I have no interest in my son's sex—" I died, "life."

"Uh-huh."

"What I mean is, oh, how do I put this?" she placed a finger over her lips and glared at the table in concentration. "Edward's always been friendly, and it's a quality that everyone loves about him, but, well, he's been just that; friendly." Her palms went flat on the table as she rolled with her idea. "It may seem kind of obvious, boy and girl, but Edward's never really… distinguished between the two—I don't mean it like that, he obviously knows the _difference_, but—"

"Personality and socially wise you mean?" I cut off Esme's rambling.

"Yes! That's what I was getting at. The company's been the same; he gets that from his father. I was insanely jealous when Carlisle and I started dating, he had so many women around him and he never paid any special or different attention to them."

"Except you?"

She smiled. "Except me."

"You don't need to thank me, though, Esme. I should be thanking you for raising someone as amazing as Edward." She laughed loudly like it was a joke. "No, really, I've never been so sure of anything like I'm sure of Edward. It's like whatever comes barreling at me, it's okay, as long as I have him by my side."

"Glad to know I raised him right. And I know you probably get enough grief for it as everything is, but if you're happy, well, I don't see what's wrong with it." She smiled radiantly. "But, I can tell that your dad misses you, and Edward would always be here for you no matter what."

I hoisted myself up onto the counter and stared at the tile of the floor. "I know," I murmured. "I just can't leave unless Edward is really okay with it, I would come across as so ungrateful and—"

"You left your home, your father, your mother and I'm assuming school isn't so hot either, for Edward. You're both working yourselves like dogs and you're more stressed than any young couple should be." Esme lifted the little printed schedule with our work timeslots on it.

"It's worth it," I argued lightly.

"Of course it's worth it, if you're both still here and you're both still working this hard for each other I have no doubt it's worth it."

"I'm afraid of miscommunication."

Esme peered up at me and her sad smile was so genuinely knowledgeable my blood froze. "It's going to happen sooner or later, and I think it might have already happened. Bella, look where you two are, not that I mean either of you any disrespect, but you're eighteen and things like bills are something that you shouldn't be worrying about."

"I know, I know, but Edward and I—"

"You'll still have each other," she interrupted. "You wouldn't be leaving him, you wouldn't be casting him off, you'd be doing the responsible thing."

I ran a hand through my hair. "I know, God I know. I have this whole thing figured out, but sometimes I think about it so much it's hard to put into words."

"Just try to express it the way you think about it."

"I guess… I mean, we'll always be here for each other. Edward would still have to work, maybe an hour less, but he'd still have to go to school, he'd still work, and I shouldn't get to take a break if he doesn't. In the end I'll always be here for him, and he'll always be here for me. It's the one place where we can access each other easily. If I moved out… I wouldn't be able to see him as often."

Esme pursed her lips and smiled a bit. "You're being a bit too self-sacrificing here, almost to a point where it is starting to become selfish. Think about your family, I know they must miss you, if it were happening me I'd be furious at whoever was taking my child away from me and I'd do anything to get them back. Unfortunately Edward seems to be the villain in this scenario." She sighed. "I'm not trying to judge you, it's the last thing I want to come across as doing, but you're pushing yourselves too far."

She reached across the table and motioned for me to sit down with her. I didn't hesitate to get off the counter and saunter over to the chair across from her. Esme grabbed one of my hands and looked into my eyes.

"Bella, I came down here with the intention of convincing Edward to make the decision of pushing you back home, but I can see that in his heart it's what he wants." I felt my mouth pop open. "I can't get these damn words out right, but what I mean is, he wants you here, and he loves you, but this isn't what he imagined for you."

"Oh," I mumbled.

"He's always been the boy who does the right thing, and he's very loyal."

"Too loyal."

"Just… think of him, Bella. I know he's afraid you'll leave, but it's for the best." She smiled. "Carlisle and I are paying for school, and he's taken the initiative to pay for his extra classes that aren't required, but he also pays for this apartment. Trust, me it'll all work out."

I let out a breath of air, and I suddenly felt like the bad guy. Esme's light brown eyes were sad and pleading and it was all for the safety and happiness of her son.

"Alright," I whispered. "I'll go back with my dad."

She stood up and I followed her initiative, and then she shocked me by pulling my arm until she was wrapped around me—hugging me.

"Thank you for making my son so happy." She murmured, her voice thick with emotion.

I hugged her harder, silently thanking her for being accepting, for looking out for Edward. The front door swung open and Edward slipped off his jacket as Esme and I parted. She grabbed her luggage from the floor and Edward waved to me as he walked out the front door to take Esme to the airport.

* * *

**_Stoically Stitched_ has been nominated for an Indie, so when you get chance go over to http://theindietwificawards (DOT) com/vote (DOT) aspx and vote for _Stoically Stitched_ in _Best _****_Indie story by Established Author We Know and Love._**

**A/N: Don't forget to review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Getting reviews like the ones I do really makes my day. Especially since I'm down on my luck in the computer department. :-/**

**Some people asked if Esme manipulated Bella. No, she didn't. She originally came down with the intention of asking Bella to move, but upon meeting with Bella she decided it was the best thing for the both of them. Reasoning with Bella.**

* * *

When Edward got home in the late afternoon I was a ball of nerves. I had thought about how I'd go about telling him I was going to move out, I even called Charlie who was nearly screaming with excitement when I mentioned coming back.

I still couldn't consider it home, though.

I kept my eyes closed while Charlie went on and on about how I was coming back home and how he knew I would come back. By the end I had to grit my teeth together in order not to rescind my decision.

I had the taco meat and cheese in the oven and I was shredding lettuce when Edward came through the door with a loud sigh.

"My mom's in the air, safe and secure." He tugged his sweatshirt over his head and draped it over the coat rack.

"That's good,"

"Mmhmm," his arms wrapped around my waist and his lips touched the back of my head affectionately. "I'll go strip the sheets."

I nodded wordlessly and he walked away from the kitchen. When he was out of the room my shoulders caved forward. I couldn't do it. I honest to God couldn't do it.

Edward had been so completely wonderful to me every moment of every day and I was just leaving him. Even if he did want it deep down this would drive an even larger wedge between us. My hand cupped the side of my head and my palm pressed flat against my temple, applying relaxing pressure until I calmed down a little.

I opened the oven and yanked out the tray. I would tell him over dinner, he was most relaxed then. But I had all night; I was leaving tomorrow, no need to spoil a perfectly relaxing night together, the first in a long while.

_No! It needs to get done, Bella. Stop stalling; it will only hurt him more in the end if you keep this up! _

My nervous energy felt like it was emanating throughout the room, I knew it was all in my head, diluting my thoughts and forcing me into an almost panicked state. My heart was hammering away as if I'd just run a marathon or swam ten laps in an Olympic sized swimming pool.

"Hey," Edward's voice made me jump. "What's wrong?"

I swallowed hard. "Nothing."

His eyes narrowed, one hand coming up to grab my shoulder and spin me. "Don't, Bella. Did my mom say something to you?"

"No," I croaked.

"Please, Bella, please, don't shut down on me now." He pleaded with me. God, all he did was plead with me, maybe it _would _be for the best.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked.

"What? Yeah, of course, that's all I want." His expression gave everything away, though.

He was nervous and scared and I was nervous and scared. He sat down at the kitchen table and clasped his hands on the table top, his nails digging into his knuckles until the skin was taught and red.

_Maybe I shouldn't do this. I could prolong it for another week. _

_It needs to happen; he's working himself like a dog. You're taking half his income as it is. _

_But it's worth it—he always says it—and we'll be together. _

_Until you're both so exhausted that it ends in a horrible mess no one benefits from anything. _

"I'm moving out," I whispered.

His eyes were as wide as saucers and he didn't move except for his nails digging in until they slowly started to turn pink where they impaled his skin. Edward just… stared at me. Stared me in the eyes like I was joking, or this was some horrible dream and he'd wake up.

"Oh God," he whispered. "You're serious."

"I'm moving out, but I'm not moving _away_." I reassured him. "Esme did say something, but it made things clearer and brought things into perspective."

"What," he swallowed. "What did she say?"

I shook my head. "It's not important," _liar!_ "I'm going back with my dad, but it's really going to be okay. You applied to all those hospitals and with me gone you won't have to keep working all these insane hours."

"Bella, I don't—God, I know it's probably… I can't—fuck!" he put his head in his hands and sighed frustratedly. "Okay… okay, I know it's for the best, I know it."

"Edward—"

"I've known it from the beginning, and I wished everyday that you would go back home with Charlie—"

"This is my home," I said like it was obvious.

He looked up from his hands and looked… so utterly hopeless. "No," he rasped. "It's not."

"It is, Edward, this is my home. I've thought of it as my home since I first moved in. This is my home because _you_ are my home."

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow, probably around six when Charlie gets off..."

"Can't you wait a little longer?" his eyes pleaded. "I, fuck, I know I'm probably acting real pathetic, but this is the stuff my nightmares are made of. It's for the best, I know, but I just, God I love you so much and I don't think I can bare seeing you walk out that door and know that you're not going to come back."

"I will come back; I'll always come back to you, Edward. This isn't the end, this is the beginning."

"It's the beginning of the end." He chuckled darkly and leaned his head into his palm. His eyes closed in what looked like pain.

"Hey," I murmured. "Look at me. I love you, Edward."

"Yeah, I love you, too." He whispered but didn't open his eyes. "I just… want to go to bed."

I stood up and walked over to him, taking the hand that was holding up his head and tugging until he stood up to follow me. I walked slowly into the bedroom, and then with tentative fingers I pulled off his clothing.

"I love you," I murmured.

"Uh-huh."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Uh-huh."

"Thing's will get better."

"Uh-huh."

"We'll have our honey moon on pink sandy beaches in Bermuda. And we'll go to a nudist beach."

His eyes popped open and looked at me incredulously. And then, beautifully, his lips pursed and twisted to the side before he broke out in a stupid grin.

"I love you, Bella."

I pushed him back onto the bed, naked and gloriously spread out before me. "Then show me."

He tugged me down on top of him, stuck a hand into my panties, and when I was good and speechless, he certainly did show me how much he loved me. And it was endless.

--

"You're room is exactly the way you left it." Charlie said happily. "I fixed up your computer, though. Actually, one of the kids in La Push fixed the mother board or some big green board and made it faster than before. It was Jacob; remember him, Billy's son?"

"Mmhmm."

"He's into mechanics and technology and all that stuff. Didn't your truck break down? You could give it to him to fix up."

"Edward took it to the mechanics."

"Oh."

And just like that, Charlie stopped talking.

I'd spent the day in my ideal spot, in Edward's bed, wrapped in his arms, underneath, on top, and beside him. Up until noon we did nothing but pant, hump, grind and scream until we were sure we could make it a couple days without physical contact—which Edward assured me would not be the case.

My stuff was packed up pretty easily. I grabbed my three bags of clothing, my books and backpack, and couple other little things and I was good to go. My CDs were mixed with Edward's, so I didn't see the problem in leaving them there, along with a couple of other things. In all honesty, it gave me some other form of going back, and making sure that my presence was always in that apartment—with Edward.

"Are you hungry?" Charlie asked pulling into town.

"I ate before I left." I answered dully.

Charlie hesitated for a moment. "Are you, uh, sure you're ready to move back in? I guess I never really asked what spurred on your decision, you didn't get in a fight with Edward or anything, did you?"

I sighed quietly. "No, we didn't fight. I just realized that things would be a lot less hectic for Edward if I wasn't there."

"Oh," Charlie occupied himself with pretending to pay extra close attention to two cars at an intersection. "How did Edward react when you told him?"

_I think my pelvis can answer that._ "He was upset, but he understood."

"Well, just because you're not living together doesn't mean you can't date or anything."

I turned in my seat to stare at him. He fidgeted awkwardly under my gaze, but he got into fatherly concern mode when he saw the tears in my eyes. The cruiser lofted slowly into the driveway and Charlie turned off the car.

"Are you," I swallowed back the tears. "Are you saying…?"

He sucked in a deep breath. "Am I saying that I'm okay with you and Edward?" I nodded. "No, I'm not saying I'm okay with it… but you're my daughter, and I don't want to lose you ever again, so for your sake, I'll man up and accept it."

"Oh, dad!" I flung myself at him and threw my arms around his shoulders, sobbing and crying tears of joy into the crook of his neck.

His hands lightly patted my back and came around to hug me loosely. Charlie wasn't the greatest at fatherly affection, but despite that, he was my father and I loved him.

"Hey now, no more crying, this is supposed to be good times in the Swan house."

"I am happy, I'm so happy it's m-making me cry." I sobbed.

"Aw hell, kid," Charlie laughed. "I would've swallowed my pride a long time ago if I knew it meant you'd be this happy."

"Thank you, dad," I whispered and slunmped back into my seat.

* * *

**A/N:_ The Age of Edward Contest_ is done accepting entries and round one of voting is up. We had over a hundred entries (W-O-W) so we decided to cut the polls in half to make it fair. There are a lot of great authors entered, but be careful to read the entire blurb before casting your vote. There are some stories with similar titles and once you cast your votes there's no going back.**

**Voting will go on until the 22nd and then round two will be up. Vote here: ****http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/~theageofedward**

**Don't forget to review!**


	11. Chapter 11

****

A/N: For anyone on the east coast, I hope this brightens your day from the cold and the rain. Anyone on the west coast or in the south, I hope this gives you a nice chill.

**This would be the climax of the story, so if you don't have a hat, buy one, and hold onto that shit.**

* * *

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," I muttered over and over again.

"Relax—please," Edward sighed.

"How can I relax? I over slept!" My legs continued to jump up and down, making the car shake at the red light we were stopped at.

_Run it! _

"Yeah, and that's fine," Edward said like it made any sense.

"_How _is it _fine_? I missed homeroom and history is half way through!"

"I'll write you a note." He rolled his eyes. "I'm over twenty one, and right now, I'm your official guardian, I have a copy of the apartment deed with me, and your name is registered right at the top."

"Why do you have the apartment deed?" I raised an eyebrow.

"A _copy_, for such an incidence as this my dear. Get me a pen and paper."

"You still need to come in," I muttered unenthusiastically.

His eyebrows pulled together. "Why?"

"They don't have you registered. I can't afford a cut, Edward. My history teacher hates me as it is, and I'm completely positive that if I'm marked as a cut in her class she'll bite my head off for the rest of the year."

"Alright, alright, I have no problem with it." He rolled his eyes again and my knuckles twitched. "Hey, I've got good news."

The tension lifted from my bones and I melted into the grey leather. Good news. Good news was always good when it came from Edward.

"Yeah?" I watched a cop car sitting by the road and I smiled thinking of my father.

"I got an internship at the hospital."

"No way!" I exclaimed. "That's great!"

"I know, and it pays more than the diner. The hours are tricky, but I think I can deal with it, there's a shortage of staff in the morning which is perfect for me."

"Congratulations!" the grin spread across my face at the sight of his. Just like that we were both laughing and joking again.

Edward pulled into the high school lot moments later and we took off into the building. The office was bustling with kids who had passes for being late. I saw Tyler Crowley waiting in line in front of me and I held my breath.

_If you don't move, he won't notice you. _

Edward let out a low whistle at the art on the wall. "Are these depictions of satanic dances?"

I rolled my eyes despite myself. "It's modern art… or it's supposed to be."

"Hmm," he went back to looking around the office, unaware of my stiff posture beside him. My eyes were focused on the back of Tyler's neck, chanting in my head for him to keep his eyes forward.

It was one thing to deal with him on my own, but with Edward here? No. No, that couldn't happen. He was a loose cannon when it came to safety and protection, the last thing I needed was my father coming down here to pick him up. Especially after they'd come to a civil relationship.

My truck was still at his complex and I hadn't had the chance to grab it yet. I hadn't set my alarm clock either. The exhaustion just kind of took over me and without Edward to set it no one else would.

I closed my hand around his and he squeezed back. My heart still clambered in my chest, which was unusual around Edward. My nerves would settle down whenever he was near me. I tried to shake the bad feeling from my gut, tried being the operative word.

Mrs. Cope was just about done with Tyler, she handed him his pass, he turned to the left, right in front of me, and I stopped breathing.

_Just go, please, just go. _

His peripheral must have caught me because he turned his head and a brief recollection touched his eyes before he smiled at me and not a friendly smile either.

Edward's tug on my arm made me flinch. I looked at Edward, but he was looking at Tyler, and his stare wasn't a friendly stare.

Tyler's eyes left me to look at Edward, and at that, his brow furrowed. The next second Tyler was walking out the doors, Edward's eyes on his back the entire way.

"That one of them?" he asked while pulling out the apartment deed. Mrs. Cope grabbed onto it and tapped some information in before handing the deed back to Edward and me a bright yellow pass.

"Yeah, it's nothing to worry about, though." I answered as we walked out.

"Yeah, sure," he wasn't convinced.

He kissed me briefly on the sidewalk outside, and I watched him for a second while he went to his car. And then I sighed under the pressured knowledge that I wouldn't see him for hours.

_Great._

Halfway across to quad to the history building someone tapped on my shoulder. Of course. Of-fucking-course this had to happen. I couldn't have just one day—

Tyler interrupted my thoughts with his Lauren-like sneer. "Boyfriend?"

"Huh?" I asked lamely.

"Boyfriend, was that your boyfriend?" he repeated slowly.

"Oh, yeah," I turned and began to walk off again, really not in mood to act cordial with anyone.

"He looks like he's thirty." Tyler said following me.

"He's not."

"How old is he?"

"None of your business."

"Is he _that_ old?"

"No."

"Then how old is he?"

I whipped around. "Leave me alone."

He smiled, amused. "No."

I breathed in deeply through my nose. _Don't! Don't let him get to you! _I let the feeling of annoyance pressurize in my temples so I wouldn't accidently lash out with my fists.

"What do you want, Tyler?" I asked as cold as I could manage.

"Oh, not much," he rocked back on his heels.

"Good, I'm glad we had this conversation, bye." I turned around and stalked off faster to my class.

"You know," Tyler said right on my heels. "You really should act more grateful."

I stopped again.

Fuck no.

This stupid, arrogant, idiotic, childish little boy wanted me to act grateful. I turned, slowly this time, because one more stupid word out of his over salivated metal lined mouth and I wouldn't even try to stop the impulse to punch him.

"I'd rather cut off my eyelids than even breath the same air as you." I hissed. "You're fucking pathetic."

His eyes narrowed and he stepped forward, trying to intimidate me by dwarfing my size. No, I was feeling way too bold and way too pissed to back down from this toad.

"What did you say?" before I had time to answer he started speaking again. "You know what, Bella? Things have been pretty tame, and even though you left all your friends and all your family for some college frat douche—" my eye twitched, "some people still defended you. Well guess what? No one wants you around anymore."

"You honestly think I care?" I snapped. "I got a pretty open vibe about that over the past couple of months."

"Wow, Lauren was right, you are a bitch." My fist curled in on itself. "Guess your boyfriend is into beastial—"

His sentence was cut off by his tongue sliding between his braced teeth, caused by my fist dislodging his jaw.

I went off.

Just… lost all control of my muscles and let my brain take over every function while I watched behind horror and adrenaline pulsing eyes. I saw the blood on my knuckle and realized that Tyler bit his tongue. I realized that I jumped on him and just started to punch with all my might and that he could have punched me back but was in too much shock at the moment.

My mind roared with fury and rage, pain and regret but I just focused all of that into my skin connecting with flesh and blood, tears pouring down my face the entire time.

My subconscious was screaming for me to keep going, this was revenge, this was my time to hurt him as badly as he hurt me. All of his stupid friends, all of the stupid plots and pranks.

The responsible side was horrified, but pleasantly indulged, because there was nothing about me that could really hold back. Every person needs to lash out when a full year of taunting and months of picking at every flaw had been concealed for the better.

Tyler pushed me off of him, his hands grabbing onto my shoulders and pushing me back until I was pinned to the ground. A small crowd had formed around us, jeering was all around me but it was all boxed out. I gladly handed over my sense of sound to focus all my energy on my flailing limbs.

My legs bent upwards and kneed Tyler in the chest. He released a hand from my shoulder to rub at the spot and I pushed him back again.

Right when I had my nails stuck into his arm I was roughly jerked back.

The strangest thing happened in that moment. My hearing came back, although bells were ringing in my ears, I could finally listen to the panic and cheering that came around me.

My legs dropped to the ground and my arms dropped to my side. The tears started to come harder, much harder than I'd ever felt before. Giant globs of tears streamed down my face and hit the ground so hard that I could hear them smash into the gravel.

"Bella, Christ, Bella," Edward was the person behind me, the only person who thought to grab my enraged form off of that stupid idiot on the floor, bewildered and pissed.

And when my legs gave out, Edward caught me, just like he always did.

I felt like reality was slipping from me. I wasn't light headed so I concluded I wasn't going to pass out, but it was like I was dreaming. I knew I wasn't, so I forced myself to focus my tunnel vision on the campus security that was helping up Tyler and ushering him back to the office. And then they turned to me with a less than friendly look and pointed me the same way.

"Can you walk?" Edward asked.

I liked my lips and swallowed but I still couldn't speak. I nodded my head and slowly, he let go of the hold he had on my waist.

The office was warmer than when I left, or it could have been the icicles running through my veins now that I had actually… realized what I'd done. But I didn't feel the speckle of regret resting in my upper stomach.

Mrs. Cope was standing by Tyler, who looked like he just woke up from a deep sleep, and when his eyes came upon me, his glare turned lethal.

Edward stepped in front of me, blocking Tyler from my view, but I saw the look on his face. Even if I did something I wasn't supposed to do, he'd still defend me.

"I'll get the nurse to see you, come on." Mrs. Cope turned to me. "Just… sit down until your father can be contacted."

My face drained of blood.

"Wait! There's no need to contact chief Swan," Edward said quickly. "I'm her legal guardian right now."

Mrs. Cope turned her authoritative eyes to Edward. "Charlie Swan is the registered guardian and it would take a month or so to change that information, sir."

Edward's fists clenched and unclenched until Mrs. Cope walked towards the back to the nurse's room. When she was out of sight, Edward sat down in a green plastic chair. I idled close by, not sure whether or not he would want me near him.

He glanced up at me under his eyelashes, frowning. "Sit."

I sat immediately and tucked my hands neatly on my lap. Edward's eyes darted down to where I knew there was pink stained across my knuckles.

"I'm sorry, Edward—"

"Don't, you shouldn't be apologizing to me." He sighed. "Violence, Bella? You couldn't hurt a fly, and here I am, backing out of the school, when I look into my rearview mirror and what do I see? Oh, not much, just my girlfriend straddling some guy's waist punching the shit out him. And that reminds me, what the hell were doing with your thumb tucked into your fist? That is _not_ how you throw a punch, that's how you break your hand."

I put my head in my hands, not able to take the disappointment in his eyes any longer.

And like things couldn't get worse from this point, Charlie came through the door looking like he would shoot someone.

_Please, just shoot me and get this whole thing over with. _

Edward fidgeted beside me a little, but didn't move from his spot, meeting direct eye contact with Charlie. Tension filled the room, consuming me and my stupidity, and when Mrs. Cope came in she lingered at the doorway looking from Edward to Charlie.

"Chief Swan?" she asked in her quiet mousy voice.

Charlie snapped out of the staring match he had with Edward. "Yeah, I'm here now, so tell me exactly what's going on."

"Bella got in a fight," Mrs. Cope answered quickly. I would have been nervous under his glare, too. Charlie turned to me, and I was right in my assumptions.

"A _fight_? I fight, Bella?" I nodded dumbly. His eyes darted to Edward. "With who?"

"A classmate," Edward answered.

"Tyler Crowley," Mrs. Cope corrected.

"Why? Why did you get in a fight with him? He's two heads taller than you and a boy!" Charlie ran a hand through his hand through his hair. "Give your side of the story before I blow up."

I didn't waste my opportunity. "He was harassing me." Charlie's eyes twitched and Edward's shoulders became rigid against my arm. "He saw Edward when we were in the office this morning and he came up to me asking all these questions about him, and when I didn't answer he kept insulting Edward."

"Christ, Bella," Edward leaned against the wall and blew out a big breath.

"Edward's a grown man; if he wants to he can fight his own battles. You don't need to be rushing into fights with people who could severely hurt you."

My head hung. "I know,"

"Can I speak with Tyler?" Charlie asked Mrs. Cope. She nodded and they paced down the crème hallway.

Edward turned his body towards me, his expression purely pissed. "You fucking punched him because he was saying stupid shit about _me_? Bella, that's just ridiculous."

"I couldn't take it anymore, Edward! I was just thinking about all the stupid things he and his friends put me through and then he started to bad mouth me and I didn't act out so he started talking about you, and—and—"

"Aw, fuck, Bella, don't cry, please don't cry." He pulled me out of my chair and onto his lap. "It's okay, it's okay," he crooned in my ear.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed.

"I know, baby. You just can't go doing stupid things like that. You know that now this will only give them more leverage."

I sniffled and rubbed my face against his chest. "I know."

"Only three more months of this and you never have to see any of them again." His lips touched the top of my head softly. "Three more months and everything will get better."

While we waited, I let myself think about three months ahead. It would be summer; I'd probably be applying to colleges and relaxing. Edward would be interning at the hospital, I could go and visit him, we could go to the beach, and we could be a normal couple.

Charlie came out, his face drawn tight. He hiked his thumb in the direction of the parking lot, not at all happy with where I was seated.

Edward followed me out behind my dad. Kids were scattered along the sidewalk and actually stopped to stare at us walking by. Two freshman girls started giggling and when Edward's head turned in their direction they made girly sounds.

And then Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

It was little, it was nothing, it was everything to me. Maybe I'd been too scared to show everyone, but he wasn't. I had nothing more to hide; I wasn't going to let everything get to me.

I was going to be happy, and I was going to be in love.

Charlie opened the cruiser door and I hesitated. "Get in," he growled.

I squeezed Edward's hand tightly in my own before sitting in the passenger side. Charlie turned to Edward after my door was closed, and even though they spoke in low murmurs, the window was cracked enough for me to hear.

"All this BS about legal guardians is taken care of. I'm her legal guardian, and Renee is her legal guardian, you're not."

Edward's face hardened. "I respect you Charlie, but you gave up that right when you kicked her out of your house."

I gasped and so did Charlie. His face turned red.

"The only reason I'm putting up this whole thing is for _her_! She may like you, but I sure as hell don't." Charlie poked a finger at his chest. "She doesn't live with you anymore; she lives in her home, with her father. You don't have any title, you're a _boyfriend_."

Edward's eyes flashed. "I know that. And I hold the title of _her_ boyfriend very proudly."

"Well good," Charlie spat. "Because if I have it my way you won't be anything more than a boyfriend."

Edward nodded and didn't fight against my father anymore. When Charlie saw that his lips were sealed he walked over to the driver's side of the car and yanked open the door.

I looked at Edward who was waiting at his car, watching me in the cruiser. I smiled weakly in his direction and he smiled back, mouthing 'love you'.

When he was out of sight I felt my heart rip in half, and it only ripped more when Charlie started to speak.

"I don't know who the hell he thinks he is!" Charlie fumed. "Legal guardian my ass, it was only a few months!"

"I'm eighteen, a legal adult; I don't need a legal guardian so drop it!" I snapped.

Charlie glared at me from the corner of his eye but didn't say another word. I leaned my head against the glass, wondering _when_ this whole thing would get better.

* * *

**A/N: So, she finally figured it out. Doesn't matter what everyone thinks, you love who you love. I need a tissue.**

**Voting for the Age of Edward Contest ended. The top _eleven_ are posted on the profile page. Because of a tie we have one more entry than previously expected.** http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/~theageofedward **Go check them out! Judges have a tough decision.**

**I'm taking advantage of the massive puddles outside, enjoy them before the heat comes back east coast!**

**Don't forget to review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I think I need to change the A/N for the last chapter. That was a prelude, and this is the continuation.**

**In canse no one noticed, FF's been down for some time and this didn't show up in people's inboxes. Deep, relaxing breaths.**

**No one's mentioned it, but some people can't believe the BS that Bella's going through. I'll be God honest, the scene in the diner, the scene in the library, and the scene in this chapter all happened. The town I'm from is small, everyone knows everything about everyone. When someone gets a ticket for speeding or a DUI they're awesome one day, and the next they're called wreckless endangerment or alcoholic. Teenagers are mean, mean people.**

* * *

I was actually, honest to God, grounded.

I hadn't been grounded since… since I was eight when I put a frog in Lauren Mallory's lunch box. She didn't know it was me, but apparently Charlie did.

As soon as we got home, Charlie pointed me to my room and said I was grounded until further notice. I almost walked right back out. I had come home for this?

I argued, futilely, with Charlie for a half hour, telling him that Tyler egged me on. But since I was the first to throw a punch, and then actually jump on top of him in my enraged blind fury, I was getting grounded. At least I wasn't suspended, but I ended up missing my classes for the day anyway.

Two hours later I had showered off the sweat, tears and blood and was lying across my bed with one of Edward's shirts and my hair pulled up with an elastic band, trying to relax my tense muscles.

It hadn't even been twenty four hours since I moved back in and I was already in trouble. Still, I rehashed the incident with Tyler over and over again until I was ready to vomit.

I hadn't even thought about doing it, I just reacted, reacted like a wild, savage beast. I groaned out loud and let my head fall to my arms. It wasn't bad enough that I had a group of tormentors, but tormenting one of them back meant that the ties would be released and it was a no-holds-bar match now.

Three months of pure hell now. Only three months, and then it would be reciprocated with three months of pure bliss. I had to smile thinking about my summer fantasy again. Edward on a beach, in the sun, in the sand, in the water.

A car started outside my window, I curiously got up to look. I noticed Billy Black in his wheel chair, laughing with Charlie. They spoke for a while, Charlie looking apprehensive and glancing back at the house.

_Yes! Go fishing, come on, take the bate… _

Charlie turned to the house and ran up the stairs. I plopped back down on my bed, looking like I'd been reading the entire time. Charlie knocked at my door lightly.

"Come in," I answered.

"Bells?" Charlie popped his head in. "The gang's meeting down in La Push to do some fishing…" he scratched the back of his head. Duty or pleasure? "I was going to head down there with everyone, do you maybe, I don't know, wanna come?"

"No, I kind of want to stay at home and finish this book." I held up my tattered book and Charlie nodded.

"Here's the thing, you're grounded, no questions asked." His hard face was back, the cop face. "You're to stay _in this house_, got it?" I nodded. "I'll be back around five."

He shut the door behind him and I listened closely for the sounds of him changing in his room. The fishing rod hit the doorway on his way out and once I heard the front door slam shut I grinned like a fool. I watched Charlie and Billy load up in the cruiser, and then, when they were out of sight, I grabbed a pair of pants, some shoes and I was running out of the house at full speed.

I still didn't have my truck, but the diner was only fifteen minutes away by foot. And it would be more than worth it to see Edward.

I could barely contain my enthusiasm as I jogged towards the main road. Ten minutes into my run the bright blue neon sign was illuminating the groggy trees and leading me on my path.

One look through the window told me that Edward was behind the counter. His tall, muscular form was leaning across the wooden island to wipe up some spilled ketchup and he looked tired.

When I came in the bell rang and he looked up. His confusion turned to shock, and then they blended together.

"What are you doing here? I would have thought Charlie had you holed up in your room."

I sat on a stool at the counter and smiled up at him. "He went fishing."

"A good warden I see."

"I'm not complaining." I shrugged.

"So, what's the verdict?" He threw the rag in the sink and leaned his forearms on the counter.

"I'm grounded—indefinitely. I hit him first."

"That's bullshit," Edward sighed. "They've been on your ass for months now, and when you finally decide to do something about it, _you're_ the one to get penalized. Albeit you did hit him, when he could have knocked you out by bashing your skull into the ground."

"He's not that much bigger than me!" I fumed. "Whatever, I know I didn't do much, but maybe that'll make them stay away from me. If they think I'm a loose cannon then they won't want to mess with me."

"Or they could mess with you even more to get you expelled." Edward reasoned. "You need to look at this from both ends of the spectrum."

I put my head in my hands. "I'm tired. I can't give up, but I'm just too tired."

"It's not getting easier," Edward whispered.

"Just when things start to get better with us, and I think that this is some sort of fairytale, everything just goes up in flames."

"This doesn't affect us. I love you, you love me, we're in love, I'm working less hours, I start working at the hospital next week, and school's almost over. We need to look at the good things, not the bad."

"The bad are overruling!" I nearly shouted. "Three more months of horror, which I'm sure I can't contain myself that long. It's been a year since we started dating and it's my fault for pushing everyone away, but since I moved in, it's like a freaking possession happened and they all went crazy!"

"Those are all temporary." Edward's eyes got softer.

"You forgot the biggest one." I blew out noisily. "My father loathes you."

He shrugged. "That doesn't really bother me. Yeah, it would be nice to get his acceptance, but right now he has every right to hate me. I mean, he's just protecting you, and I'm trying to intrude on his obligation as a parent, shelter, sense of security, all of that."

I groaned. "I guess it doesn't matter, but I've already turned my back on him once, how can I do it again?"

"If you feel like it's necessary, and only if you're sure. There's no need this time though." He tapped a finger under my chin and he looked into my eyes. "He won't make you leave; he loves you too much to have it happen again."

I nodded solemnly. "Hey, is Sam here?"

"No, you don't have to worry about getting caught. He headed out right after I got here."

"Could you get off now?" I asked. He cocked his head to the side in confusion. "My truck's still in the apartment lot."

I didn't think Edward could move faster than he did when he got someone to cover for him, checked out the register, and grabbed his stuff.

"What time do you have to be back home?" he asked when we were in the car and racing off towards home—I mean his apartment.

"Five, but you don't have to go thirty over the speed limit." The car slowed five miles and his hand gripped mine on my lap.

Oh, wait. _Oh!_

A stupid grin overcame my face quickly.

--

Two and a half hours later after my sexual appetite was sated, Edward and I stumbled out of the apartment like love-ridden drunks. His hand was tucked in my jeans pocket on my ass and while nearly tripping down the stairs, his mouth refused to leave my skin.

For those two and a half hours we clung onto each other and swore like sailors, fucked like sailors, and when we felt just as dirty, we took a calming bath.

So, as I sat in my truck outside of Forks High School, the prominent below average schooling system with its less than average students and teachers combo, I tried to focus on Edward's face scrunching up and his mouth gaping wide. So far it was working well enough.

I breathed in deeply once more. _Just… get through today. Once today is over, well, it won't get better, but it'll get less…_

"Aw fuck it."

I clambered out of my car and into the cold rainy lot, striding toward the front doors of building three and keeping my mind focused on its location.

_Keep moving, God, keep going, just a little farther. Over the curb, only the sidewalk left—what the hell are Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley doing there. No, no, no, don't look at me._

"Bella." Jessica smiled.

"Why don't you come with us?" Lauren asked sweetly.

_F-u-c-k no. _"I have to get to class."

I launched my feet forward, moving, moving, moving, never stopping and staring directly at my Spanish room's plate with the number _5-35_ engraved by the wall. I heard foot steps behind me, purposely loud to go over the all the shuffling feet.

Right when I was there, right when my foot was mid-way through the threshold of the brown and blue tiled floor, right then and there, my hair was being yanked back and I was in the middle of the hall.

Some people shoved me aside, some stopped, but Lauren advanced on me with Jessica in toe, smiling and rolling her eyes when I'd look her way, not really one to offend people.

"Since you've resorted to violence and all," Lauren Drawled. "Why don't we see how worked up you can get before you get expelled."

"No," I whispered. _No, no, no, do _not _hit this bitch._

_Perfect opportunity! Are you crazy? She's asking for it, oh God, look at those pearly whites, I bet one good smash to her lip would make them red as an apple—_

_No! I can't risk it. I was in a fight yesterday, one more and they won't even think about it, I'll be gone._

Lauren pulled out her earrings dramatically.

_If you pull hard enough I bet that hole will stretch._

_Stop! I _can't _hit her!_

She stepped forward and grinned, a large crowd forming around us.

_If she hits you first… there's no holding back._

_If she hits me first… then yes._

"Do you get upset when people mention your boyfriend?" She asked like I was a child. "Well, he may be a hot guy, but I'm sure he's with you for sex. You'd give it up to anyone."

"Really Lauren, you shouldn't be talking about that. Remember that phone video at the beginning of the—"

"Shut the fuck up, that was different." She snapped.

_Antagonize her!_

_No way!_

_Do it! If she hits you first she'll be the one in trouble _and _you can kick her ass._

"Yeah, you're right, it was different. I guess there's a standard for being a whore."

_I didn't think you had it in you._

_I don't… God I don't, my hands are shaking so badly._

Her face got red and she took a step forward, seething. Public humiliation was Lauren's one weak spot. She drew the crowd, and she wanted to control it, but if anyone made a fool out of her… well, they might end up like Mike Newton and have to go to physical therapy for pelvic damage.

She stepped right up to me, her chest pressing against mine, her nose a hair's breath away and her blue eyes searing right into mine.

It would have been worth it for her dainty hand to come up and slap me just so I could shove my shaking fist into her cheek.

Ladies and Gentlemen, high school drama at it's finest.

Her hand came up and pushed my shoulder. One, twice, three times. It was nothing; I knew if I waited for a little longer my lack of response would get to her.

I couldn't give over to the side of me that wanted to jump her; I couldn't disappoint Edward or Charlie or risk getting expelled. I couldn't walk away, either. I needed it to stop, needed it to end. And if Lauren stopped, so would her cronies.

It would all end right now. I had suffered through the bad for a year, and now it was time that the good came. I could suffer through the bad right now, for the rest of the week the bad would be here, but afterwards… Edward and I could finally be happy.

"Hit me," I rasped. "Hit me and make it good."

"Oh, I'll make it good." Her nose crinkled, her shoulder flexed in slow motion to me. Her elbow was halfway up…

I saw her hand; fingers tucked and curled together swishing through the air. I watched it for a moment, noting the flat gold ring that would probably hurt like hell, but when I got my hands around her throat I would forget all about that.

My eyes closed, ready for impact, and when it came I didn't expect the force of it. Her hand hit me hard, almost knocking me off my feet and onto my ass. I managed to catch onto a wall of lockers and saw her advancing on me, I also saw a teacher dialing security.

Hello reliable source.

I let it go, smashed my fist into her cheek, watched the way her mouth sneered and scrunched up in pain and it was all history from their.

She fell onto the floor and I tried to restrain my shaking hands from pulling her back up and just, just, just… letting go of all this pent up anger.

Lauren stood up, her hand sampling her skin and found that she wasn't bleeding—yet.

She launched herself at me with a savage scream I didn't think her capable of. I fell to the ground, my head slamming into the tile and I felt her nails bite into my neck.

"I'll fucking kill you!" she screamed.

_She's really gonna kill me!_

_Christ, kick her leg!_

I kicked at her calf and she fell back howling in pain. How could I forget she had a broken leg at the beginning of the year? She guilt tripped me into getting everything she needed in art for three weeks.

I had to grit my teeth when I snapped my body upright and fought against the dizzy nausea waves. I sincerely hoped I wouldn't have a concussion. Lauren held her leg and screamed the word "bitch!" over and over again until I tuned it out to the rest of the white noise around me.

I lunged, plain and simple, grabbed her hair, pulled a good portion size out, punched her nose and watched it bleed. It was broken, I could tell that much. I hoped the salt from my tears burned her cuts like lemons. I hoped she could taste my misery and desperation.

I pulled myself off of her, falling onto my ass against the lockers and sobbing loudly. Lauren was screaming, thrashing around on the ground like a fish. There was blood clotting in her hair making disgusting wet globs of…

_Oh God…_

My stomach wretched and I threw up all over the stained floor. Oh fuck, oh Christ. Could embarrassment and pride get more mixed up than at this moment?

The nurses and security came then, screaming and shouting for everyone to go back to class and stay there for a while. Barely half the crowd left the horror scene in front of them.

The world around me spun and shook horribly. I began to sweat ice cold bullets and I moved away from my pile of throw up incase I accidentally passed out in it.

The nurse wandered over to me, someone was calling my name through my tunnel vision and deaf ears, but all I could focus on was the incredibly bright light being shown into my eyes.

"Stay awake, you need to stay awake," The voice called.

I think I groaned something along the lines of 'I can't' or 'I don't want to' but the world was just this huge blur around me. Shock and anxiety mixed with bad feelings did me in as I surrendered to the block of pleasant blurriness that overcame me.

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**A/N: Passing out in school isn't fun. FYI.**

**Age of Edward Contest results will be up soon. Click over to my profile for the link and if you haven't read the top ten entries go and do it. They're all so good and it was a tough decision.**

**I'm curious, how many of you have witnessed a fight?**

**Don't forget to review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Today is the single greatest day of my life.**

**Tonight, I'm going to see my muse, my inspiration, my first true love: Otep Shamaya. **

**Here's hoping that this final chapter will bring you the happiness that I'm flying high on right on.**

**Once more! I LOVE MY REVIEWERS. :) Thank you all for taking the time to read this, thank you for reviewing even if FF wasn't letting me reply I read them all, smiled, laughed and thought about this chapter over and over. I'm happy with this, so I hope you are, too.**

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Somehow I didn't get any rest. It seemed like every five minutes I would be shook awake and once I smacked the hands away they'd leave, come back, rinse, repeat.

Everything around me was white and loud. I smelled bleach and cigarettes and thought about the strange combination, trying to figure out how the two fit together and that would end up leading me to where I was.

"Bella? Bella, are you awake?"

My mouth felt like cotton but I shook my head from side to side and groaned at the oncoming wave of nausea.

"Oh thank God," another voice cried.

I cracked an eye open and immediately closed it. No, no way in hell could I look at that light right now.

"The lights," a voice whispered. "They'll probably hurt her eyes."

"Probably," I muttered and coughed.

Someone put a glass to my lips and I drank the whole thing greedily. My back was stiff from being inclined by the hospital bed and when I opened my eyes I blushed hotly.

I had a crowd in my room, all looking at me expectantly. Edward was by my side, holding my hand tightly in his, and Renee was on the other side, looking gaunt. Charlie was standing at the end of my bed in his police uniform and then there was Phil, and… Esme?

She smiled at me and my heart sped up. I probably looked horrible, I felt horrible, I could feel the crack of dried blood at the corner of my eye and my neck was throbbing where I remember Lauren's nails bit in.

My eyes fluttered closed and I bit my lip to keep from crying. Renee had her arms around me in half a second and squeezed me to her chest, hushing me and cooing things in my ear to make me stop.

"Don't cry, don't cry, you're not in trouble—well, with the police, you're definitely grounded," she murmured.

"I'm already grounded," I mumbled.

"Well, I guess being covered in blood and grime for two days is punishment enough. I think Edward was tempted to give you a sponge bath."

"Mom." I tried to stifle my giggles but they got out anyway.

She started to laugh with me, cutting up the tension and she smoothed down my hair affectionately.

"Sorry, baby," she nearly whispered. Her eyes told me she was sorry for more than what was let on and that we'd talk later.

She sat in her seat and I looked at everyone around me, watching me with tired and expectant eyes. Wait. Did she say two days?

"How long was I out for?" I squeaked nervously.

"A day and a half," Charlie answered tightly. Renee shot him a look and his square shoulders dropped a bit. "You had a concussion, but that's not what had you out for so long. Well, it was, but it was also something to do with you not eating properly."

"We'll let the nurse explain." Renee rolled her eyes. "Oh! Damn we're supposed to get the nurse when she's up."

Renee sprinted out through the doors with Phil hot on her heels and I heard her yelling to someone. I squeezed my fingers one at a time to get circulation back into them, and when I felt the solid weight of Edward's hand I looked up at him.

He smiled warily and used his hand that was unoccupied to flick a piece of hair off my forehead.

"Do I look bad?" I asked timidly.

His smile got bigger and he shook his head. "You never do."

"I think you're lying," I accused lightly. He simply shook his head and leaned down to kiss the top of my hair.

At that moment the nurse came bustling in, a metal medical sheet and a couple supplies in her hands as she asked me basic questions.

I was regaled with the whole story. There were several spin offs from different people, but the decision was unanimous that Lauren hit me first, I reacted in self-defense, but I was still in trouble for fighting, just not as much as her.

Lauren's leg was re-broken, something I oddly felt guilty for, her nose was broken, too. But it would be healed in no time. Neither one of us would have lasting scars, just a couple cuts that would last a few weeks and then disappear.

In short, we were switched out of classes, moved around so we'd basically never see each other, and since Edward would start his job at the hospital I was staying at, I didn't have anything to worry about. It was… nice.

--

Soon after I was released from the hospital Edward started there. He got a set of scrubs, a doctor to follow under, even a patient to keep tabs on. He was the only one who stopped giving me wary looks after the first day.

My mother tried to convince me to come to Florida with her and leave everything behind, but when I shook my head and began to explain she cut me off and told me she understood, glancing at Edward who had fallen asleep in his perch by my bed.

"I'll give him a test run," she'd said. "I think he's a good guy, better than some of the other boys you could have brought home."

Charlie hadn't had the same sentiments. He was civil, cordial and cold. My irritation was beginning to spike, but Edward no longer fidgeted under his protective glare anymore. Edward reminded me that I was his only daughter, and therefore Charlie was fully entitled to hate him for a while.

I was released after two days and back in school as soon as Charlie could procure it.

School, well, it sucked. Plain and simple with no sugar coating or sprinkles. I didn't get threatened or beat up, but the taunting was back at full force with a distance between me and whoever it was. Everyone looked at me like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment and take the closest person down with me. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

Getting back in the swing of things was easy. I did my homework every night since I didn't have anywhere else to go. I got straight A's and did my best academically. It was all that I could focus on without going insane.

The insanity, of course, came from none other than Edward.

Since my time in the hospital, we hadn't been together for more than an hour, and that was on lunch breaks. Phone calls weren't the same without his facial expression, and my imagination wasn't that vivid.

And sex had been out of the question. He offered—what I assumed jokingly—to try out the on-call room. By the time a month went by, I was more than ready to take up that offer.

Life was boring, life was dull, and I could see more than ever why I needed Edward.

So enough of the backtracking and all the boring weeks that I ran through my entire library of books and watched the rain, and to the present where I was currently waiting for my name to slip through the thin papery lips of Mr. Greene.

Jessica Stanly grabbed her diploma and asked to make a short speech. It was boring, quick and at the end she gave a white-girl-woo with her hands up like she was in a wet t-shit contest.

Mr. Greene looked at me, waiting in line kind of shimmying around to stop the wool-like fungi green gown from touching my skin. If I broke out in some kind of rash I would make damn sure it was contagious.

"Isabella Swan, class valedictorian." Mr. Greene clapped and moved aside to let me have my stand at the mahogany podium.

My heart was racing a million miles and I had my stupid folded paper with all the words I was supposed to say on it. But looking at all those faces out there—those who had already gone through this process and those who had yet to go through it—they didn't want to hear any of this bull.

"If there's one thing I've learned in the high school system," I started. "It's that doing your best and trying to succeed will always get you somewhere. The same thing cannot be said about the social structure, though. No matter what you do, unless you end up severing all ties, the people that you trust are usually the downfall that defines you." Mr. Greene coughed behind me.

The nervousness in the pit of my stomach began to escalate as I looked through the crowd to all the faces pointed at me with their listening ears. Even if they were just looking and not paying attention, they all would grasp some concept of what I said.

So to stop my worry, I looked for Edward. Like always, he was right there, guiding me. His green eyes looked me on from the back where he stood against the outside archway that led to the field of seats.

"_Don't pay attention to them, just look at me."_ So I did just that.

"There are people you can trust, and there are people that you can't. Unfortunately none of us are fortune tellers and we can't truly decide that when we need to. There's not much more to say. But in conclusion, academics can only get you so far, when the reality of it is that our social responsibilities sometimes outweigh the priorities."

I turned, grabbed my diploma and walked down the stairs to get the hell off that stage. Some people were laughing; some were looking on like I'd just committed some horrible faux pas.

Mr. Green laughed into the microphone. "Well, I think that was shortest valedictorian speech in history." The crowd laughed with him accordingly.

I rounded the back while the rest of the students were called and a science teacher who was retiring talked about their futures and how to make the _right_ decisions as opposed to the _wrong_ decisions.

I was done with high school. D-o-n-e.

Edward was waiting right where he'd been standing during my whole speech and smiled when he saw me.

"Ready to go already?" I took off my cap, threw it in the air and grabbed his hand to drag him through the doorway.

"Where's Charlie?" I asked.

"In the crowd—waiting for you," He laughed. "Just wait here a moment sweet pea."

Edward tugged on my hand and we stopped at the curb of the parking lot. His bright green eyes were wide and excited and he swooped down to kiss me. His lightheartedness took away my anxious foul mood and I smiled and kissed him fully back.

"Edward?" I murmured.

"Yeah?" he pulled back so our noses were touching, the perfect romantic moment with my arms around his neck and basking in the raining glow of a fresh afternoon.

"Thanks for getting me through this. I couldn't have done it without you." He smiled against my lips, wide enough that I could feel his teeth against mine because my grin was just as stupid and huge.

He pulled back and laughed out loud, giddy and happier than I'd ever seen him before. Everything _did_ get better. We were in love and ready for anything the world could throw at us.

"It's over!" he yelled to the sky and looked back at me. "Let's go get married now."

"Whoa there Casanova, let the good times roll." We both turned towards the lawn where green caps were flying upwards and yelling was coming from. Charlie walked through the arches, hands in his pockets with Renee and Phil behind him. Renee had a camera in her hand and crooked a finger in my direction.

"Ready for the afterglow of post-graduation?" Edward teased.

"You know it, let's go get our pictures taken and then get married," I teased back and laughed loudly just because I could.

I ran to my parents with Edward on my heels, looking at all the positives for once instead of living in the negatives. I had a future ahead of me that was looking bright as the sun and a man who was everything I could possibly ever want and need.

If I could end it right here, with no worries or anxiety, I would. From my naïve young mind I would live out the rest of my life perfect and happy, and that's how I would see things from now on.

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**The End **

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A/N: No look into the future from here on out. It's done. It's up to the reader whether or not they lived happily ever after or the stress of an adult relationship worked them over.

Thanks once again for reading my short little story. Good news is while I was posting this I've been writing something. I have a stock of stories because my fingers are rarely ever off these keys.

Don't forget to review!


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